


The Blind Side

by angelicmisskitty



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Island, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Injury Recovery, broken trust, olicity au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-29
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-04-01 21:49:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 184,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4035802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelicmisskitty/pseuds/angelicmisskitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver meets Felicity during his vacation in Marbella.<br/>All it takes is a broken foot, a broken arm and some sunscreen to draw Olivers attention. What happened to her? Will Oliver get the chance to find out more about her? And will Felicity find out about Oliver's past?</p><p>This is a Story about insecurities, major angst and finding back to each other despite all circumstances thrown at Oliver and Felicity's feet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pool Side

**Author's Note:**

> \--- Rated M for later Chapters ---
> 
>  
> 
> Hey guys,
> 
> after being a member on here for several months I finally decided to write my first Fanfic. Please let me know what you think!
> 
> All mistakes are mine, as English isn't my first language (I try my best though! :D )  
> I have no idea where this Story might take us, right now I'm finishing Chapter 2, so stay tuned :)

It was a sunny Friday afternoon in Marbella.

The Hotel Pool wasn’t too crowded and Oliver was glad he had the chance to relax a bit and enjoy the sun. His sister Thea occupied the lounge bed next to him and talked to their mother. Oliver put his sunglasses on and looked around the Pool when he spotted woman being carried bridal-style out to the Pool area. The guy carrying the woman was slightly older than her, but she seemed to be Olivers age, maybe a few years younger than him. Both her left foot and her left hand were in a cast and she had a large band-aid on her left thigh. Despite the obvious injuries she was beautiful, long blonde hair falling down in slight locks over her shoulders, wearing a white sundress and sunglasses. The guy set her down at a vacant sun bed a few spots down the line where Oliver occupied the space. Oliver could see the guy say something to the blonde woman and then turn around and leave the Pool area.  
Oliver watched the woman slowly sit down on the lounge chair and strip off her sundress before placing it on the foot of the lounger. Oliver can’t bring himself to look away, especially not after seeing her toned body in the magnificent black Bikini with gold highlights and the huge tattooed angel wings that cover nearly her entire back. He’s surprised, when he first spotted her being carried to the pool she didn’t look like the tattoo-type of woman. Heck, even now she doesn’t. Her face is flawless except for a bruise on the cheekbone and he wonders what could have happened to her. Her movement is very slow and calculated and Oliver guesses it’s because of all the injuries that cover her body.

“Maybe she has been in a car accident.” He thinks to himself.

When she relaxes her back into the lounger and stretches her legs, for the first time Oliver can see how small and petite she actually is. She’s much shorter than him, and her body barely covers half of the lounger. She seems to have a smile on her face the entire time but keeps staring straight forward, not paying her surroundings any attention.

The minutes passed since that guy brought her out to the Pool and Oliver wondered when her carrier (“Partner?”) might return.  
It takes his sister several attempts at yelling at him before Oliver even noticed someone calling his name.

“Earth to Ollie! Stop ogling that woman and pay me some attention, thanks!” Thea pouted.

Oliver lifted his sunglasses and gave his sister a look. “I’m not ogling anyone! What do you want, Speedy?”

“Well it took me 3 full attempts to get your attention and your eyes were fixed on the girl next to us so yeah, definitely ogling, big brother. Anyway, Mom and I are heading down to the marina to grab some lunch. Wanna join?”

“I’m not hungry, so I’ll pass this time. I’ll stick around here a little longer and will probably head out with Tommy later once he’s back from his shopping tour with Laurel. You can tell mom she doesn’t need to wait for me, it will probably be getting late tonight. But have a good time!” he smiled and turned back into the lounger, putting the sunglasses back on his nose. Thea shrugged, gathered her stuff and left the Pool area to head back to her Hotel room and join her Mom on their way to Dinner.

When his sister was out of sight, Oliver took another glance to his left where the blonde woman still occupied her lounge bed. It had been a good 30 minutes now since she arrived at the Pool and still no sight of her partner (“Yeah, she’s definitely not single.”). When Oliver saw her starting to move up, trying to put sunblocker on her back and legs with her good hand but struggling to reach her back properly, he hesitated for a moment, unsure on what to do. Should he go over and offer a hand? Or would that be too personal, especially since she had a male partner arriving with her, though that one was nowhere to be seen right now? When she finished putting the lotion on her legs and gave it another try with her back but failing once more, Oliver got up and walked over to her.

“Can I help you with that?”   
The woman jumped at the sound of Olivers voice and her head snapped to the right to where Oliver stood, a few feet away from her.  
“Oh I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you. I just sat over there and saw you struggling to put sunscreen on your back with that cast on your arm. So I thought I’d offer a hand – no pun intended.” he apologized and tried to cheer up the situation.

The woman just sat there and didn’t move a muscle, sunscreen still in hand, staring in Olivers direction through her sunglasses. Oliver started shifting from one foot to the other, unsure on what to do. Should he just head back to his lounger and pretend the last few minutes didn’t happen? Obviously that woman wasn’t interested to even talk to him, let alone getting her back creamed by him.  
Oh crap, did she even speak his language? He was in a different country after all. What if she didn’t understand him and thought he tried to hook her up or something?  
“Yeah, definitely NOT the smartest move, Queen” he thought to himself.

When he was ready to head back to his lounger, the woman started to speak.

“Uh… sorry, what?” Her voice sounded so feminine and breakable and Oliver loved it already, even after these mere 3 words.

“You seemed to have problems getting sunscreen onto your back, so I offered my help. But I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Obviously you have a partner who could do that for you, if he returns any time soon. So I’ll just head back to my lounger.” he said and started to move back to his place.

“Oh, uhm… that’s not my partner. He’s my nurse, actually, and he probably won’t be back within the next 2 hours. So uhm… a little help would be great, if the offer still stands.” She smiled at him and Oliver’s heart skipped a beat.  
That bright smile made her even more beautiful than the slight smiling he saw her do the entire time before. Her face practically seemed to glow, even with all these bruises all over her body. Oliver had to try very hard not to stare at her until she spoke again.  
“Are you still there or am I talking to myself again?” She tilted her head into his direction a bit more.

“I’m sorry, I normally don’t stare that much. Of course that offer still stands.” Oliver said.  
He grabs the sunscreen from her hands and very gently starts moving her blonde hair and the loose straps of the bikini out of the way and over her shoulder. Her skin was soft and felt absolutely flawless under his palms.

“Oh I don’t mind the staring. Obviously I couldn’t care less if people stared at me right now, I’m sure with these casts and bruises I look like something the cat dragged in anyway.” she joked.

Oliver squeezed a good amount of sun blocker into his hands and very gently started applying it onto her shoulders and over her Tattoo. He never had a tattooed girlfriend before and always wondered if inked skin felt any different. It didn’t, and it amazed him even more.  
“What happened? If you don’t mind asking.”

The woman started to shift a bit on the lounger and Oliver regretted not asking a more casual question. Obviously she felt very uncomfortable talking about her injuries. “Oh, uhm… long story. The doctors said I’m stuck with the casts for a few more weeks and hopefully my eyesight will come back by then, too.”

At her words Oliver stopped his movements and just stared at her. Did he hear her correctly? “You’re blind?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m in Spain in the first place, actually. But it’s just a temporary loss of eyesight and there’s a Doctor in Marbella who specializes in fixing things like this – at least that’s what my Doctors told me.”

At her words Oliver started moving his hands again, focusing on the lower regions of her back. She seemed very tense and Oliver tried his best not to touch any inappropriate regions near her bikini bottom. When he was done, he placed the bottle of sunscreen into her hand again and stood up, unsure on what to do now. An uncomfortable silence surrounded them both and when the woman put the sunscreen away and relaxed into her lounger again, Oliver started to walk back to his spot.

“What’s your name?” she asked him and her voice stopped him from moving back to his place once again.  
“Oliver, and yours?”  
“I’m Felicity.” she smiled, stretching and relaxing her feet into the lounge bed.  
“Well, Oliver, I haven’t heard you talking to anyone in the last 30 minutes, so I don’t know if you’re alone or with company, but would you like to talk to me for a while? It’s crazy boring around here, I can’t go in the pool and you’re the very first person to speak to me in a language that I can actually understand.” she laughed again and this time Oliver couldn’t stop but starting to giggle as well.  
“My mom and my sister just left for lunch about half an hour ago, so no… I’m not having any company right now and of course I would like to talk to you. I’ll just go and grab my stuff, give me a minute.”

When Felicity heard a loud scratching on the floor, her head shot to the right side. She could feel someone moving closer to her and she wondered what Oliver might be doing right now. He must have seen her brows furrow over the not-so-silent way he chose to grab his stuff, and he chuckled.  
“It’s actually easier for me to bring the entire lounge chair than just pack everything and then unpack it again on the bed next to you, so… yeah, call me lazy.”

She let out a small laugh and Oliver had to admit he really liked her voice. It matched her petite and tiny form perfectly and he definitely wanted to hear more of it.  
“So… for how long will you be here, Oliver?” she asked him before he even got the chance to sit down on his lounger.  
“My mom and my sister will leave tomorrow, but I’ll stick around a little longer, my best friend Tommy and his fiancée are currently picking out wedding locations and a spot for their Honeymoon and we’ll head back home on Monday.” he replied, while relaxing back into the lounger, sunglasses on his nose again, letting the Spanish sun warm his toned body.  
“What about you? Are you only with your nurse, or are there any other people traveling with you? I assume it must be difficult being in a different country all by yourself without being able to see anything.”  
“I’m traveling alone, actually. The nurse isn’t much of a help, to be honest, he seems to be enjoying the holidays way more than he’s supposed to be. My mom couldn’t come with me, work is keeping her pretty occupied, so yup… only me. I have to stick around here for another week before I can go back to Los Angeles and I’m sure this will be the most boring vacation I have ever taken. But I’m taking random pics with my phone and if any of these turn out to be good I can actually enjoy that vacation as soon as I can see again, so I’m good.” Felicity laughs out and Oliver can’t help but join her.

“So you’re from Los Angeles?” Oliver tries to keep the conversation as casual as possible, not wanting to overstep any boundaries again by asking her about the injuries or any other uncomfortable topics.  
“Las Vegas, actually. But I moved to LA some years ago and have lived there ever since. My mom still lives and works in Vegas, though. What about you? I assume you’re no from Spain, even though I can’t see your face and body right now to guess what ethnic type you could be. Not that I would want to check you out – which I don’t – or, I can’t tell if I would check you out because I obviously can’t see you. And I don’t want to imply that you might be a fat guy that’s not out-checkable… is that even a word? Oh my god what am I doing? I’m sorry, I tend to babble from time to time…”

Oliver laughed out loud. That woman had a serious brain – to – mouth dysfunction and he really liked it. Despite her babbling she seemed relaxed, and it really cheered him up.  
“Oh it’s okay, you can totally check me out whenever you want to. I don’t mind” he told her.

“Wait, so you’re used to being checked out? What are you? A Model for Hollister Stores or something? Not that I’m saying I would only check out Models, which I totally don’t, even though there are some pretty hot guys standing in front of their stores sometimes and oh my god I’m doing it again, right?” Oliver burst out laughing and with that Felicity smacked him right on his left thigh. His very well toned left thigh. Surprised at the contact of smooth skin and very toned muscles she pulled her hand back and stopped talking. Not that she expected to smack a fat, hairy leg, but that particular leg seemed to be very well shaped.  
“God damn, why do I have to lose my eyesight when I could actually use it?” she mumbled to herself.

\--------

They talked for another hour when Felicity’s phone rang. She picked it up, swiped over the screen and took the call. Oliver watched in awe at how she managed to handle everything so easily without being able to see anything. When she ended the call and put her phone down, she turned her attention to Oliver again.  
“So, that was my nurse… he’ll pick me up in 5 minutes – literally, because with this insane thing on my foot I can’t walk around on my own. It was really nice talking to you, Oliver. Actually this has been the best day of my vacation here so far. Thank you for that.” She gave him a bright honest smile and Oliver squeezed her shoulder slightly. “No need to thank me. I enjoyed it just as much as you did.” he said.

When she started putting her white sundress back on and gathering all her stuff, Oliver realized he wanted to see her again, talk to her again. The last two hours had been the most relaxing conversation he had in months and he started to really like Felicity, even after just that one conversation. He just couldn’t figure out how to approach her. Obviously he couldn’t just give her his number and ask her to call him.

“Uhm, Felicity?” Hesitation clearly visible in his voice.  
“Yeah?”  
“Would you like to go to dinner with me? I mean, only if you’re feeling comfortable, and we wouldn’t even need to go out, we could eat in the Hotel’s Restaurant. Only if you’d like to, of course.”  
“You mean like a date?”

Oliver could see her thinking, her brows furrowed, considering if she should accept his offer or not. Or maybe she was just thinking for the most polite way to tell him she wasn’t interested in seeing him again. He really didn’t know and it made him very uncomfortable. Something he had never been before with any woman, he just realized.

“Oliver, I don’t know if that would be a good idea. I mean, look at me, I can’t even walk on my own let alone read a menu or hold a hold a fork properly. I wouldn’t be the best company at a Restaurant and don’t want to embarrass you.” Oliver could see her face drop while she spoke, clearly not happy with what she had to tell him, but he was having none of that. He wanted to see her again, no matter what.  
“Felicity, you’re no embarrassment to me only because you’re injured and I really don’t care what others think. All I’m interested in is having dinner with you. Please?”  
Felicity sighed. “Fine. I’m going to dinner with you. I think it’s the least I can do after you agreed to be my company for today. But how should we do this? I mean, look at me. It’s not that I can walk into a Restaurant and wait for you there.”  
“I could pick you up at your room and we could head to the Restaurant together.” Oliver suggested. “I can even organize a wheelchair for you so you won’t have to walk with that thing on your feet.”  
Without thinking about it too long, Felicity agreed. “Alright, let’s do this. What about tonight? It’s not that I have much to do here either and listening to Spanish TV channels isn’t very satisfying, to be honest.”

Oliver remembered having a date with Tommy tonight and quickly pulled out his phone send him a short text. He wasn’t going to let this chance pass, so the drinking-date with Tommy would have to be re-scheduled. Tommy would understand.

“I would love to go to dinner with you tonight, Felicity.” He smiled broadly at her and she seemed to notice and smiled back at him.  
Oliver saw her nurse approaching the Pool area where Felicity and him sat and quickly asked her for the details about their date.  
“Would 8pm suit you? I could pick you up at your room if that’s okay.”  
“8pm would be perfect. And I’m staying in Room No.457.” with that she smiled, took a seat in the wheelchair her nurse brought with him and left the Pool area.


	2. Finger Food and freezing feet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is, Chapter No.2  
> Enjoy! :)

Oliver paced around his hotel room, constantly checking his watch. It was 7.30pm and there was still plenty of time until he was about to head downstairs to pick up Felicity at her room.

\-----

As soon as Felicity left the Pool area, Oliver gathered his stuff and went to his Hotel room as well, quickly stripping out the bathing shorts to have a cold shower. It was still more than 3 hours until their dinner date was about to start, but he had plans. He needed to be prepared. This shouldn’t be an ordinary dinner date, he wanted it to be perfect. So he showered as quick as he could, dressed in a set of Cargo shorts and a grey T-Shirt, paired it with his LA Kings cap and went downstairs to the Lobby.

The receptionist was very helpful and wrote down everything Oliver told her.  
Oliver made sure to have a wheelchair available for the evening and picked out a very romantic spot in their Beach Restaurant for their dinner. When everything for the evening had been settled, Oliver made his way back to his room, only to be stopped by Tommy and Laurel.  
Tommy seemed stressed out, loaded with countless shopping bags while Laurel grinned brightly at Oliver.

“So… I guess shopping was a success?” Oliver grinned at his best friend and Tommy gave him a look.

Before Tommy had a chance to say something, Laurel spoke up.  
“Ollie, this city is magnificent! So many nice Stores and have you seen all these people walking around here? It’s like a big Fashion Show going on in the streets near the marina. It’s so exciting, right, Tommy?” Laurel looked at Tommy with bright eyes, hands gesturing around. Tommy just rolled his eyes at his fiancée and started turned to Oliver.

“Ollie, I have to say I’m pretty disappointed. No drinking-date tonight? What’s up? Got yourself some hot date or something?”  
Oliver just grinned brightly at Tommy but didn’t say anything.

“Spill it out, buddy! Who is it? Where did you meet her?”

“I met her at the Pool today and she’s amazing. And that’s all I’m telling you, my friend. No more details.”  
Tommy and Oliver grinned at each other when Laurel spoke again and turned her attention to her fiancée.

“If you guys aren’t going out tonight it means we can go out instead and have dinner at that nice Restaurant we walked past today, Tommy! Or don’t you want to go out with your lovely fiancée in this lovely” - gesturing down herself “new dress that I got myself today?”

“Of course honey, but I would have loved to spend the evening out with my best friend as well. With all the wedding preparations and my work you know it’s been a while since we have done that.” Tommy told her.

“And I promise we’ll catch up on that very soon, buddy!” Oliver said and patted Tommy’s shoulder “but I gotta go now. We’ll talk tomorrow and you guys have a nice evening out!”  
Oliver gave Laurel a quick peck on the cheek and winked at Tommy and left the Lobby to head upstairs to his room again. He still needed to find the right outfit for tonight, no matter if Felicity could see him or not.

 

It was 6.30 when he arrived back at his Hotel room and he immediately started digging through his case. He wasn’t sure what to wear today. A tux would be way too formal, and too warm, with the temperatures out there. Cargo shorts and a simple Shirt would be too casual, so he settled for black slacks and a navy blue Henley.  
After pacing through his Hotel room for another 15 minutes, Oliver decided to head out early and pick up Felicity earlier than planned. Not only was he eager to see her again, but he couldn’t stand the wait any more either.

\---------

While walking down the stairs to her floor he hoped that Felicity wouldn’t mind him being a bit early. Normally he was the one being when it came to dates or appointments, but with Felicity he felt a nervousness and excitement he never felt before. When he arrived at Room No.457 and gently knocked on the door, he didn’t hear any sound coming out of the room. He waited a few seconds and knocked again – still no response.  
He knocked a third time, “Felicity? It’s me, Oliver. You in there?”

“Yeah, hold on – I’ll be right there!” Oliver heard a voice coming out of the room.

He heard a soft hopping sound before the door opened and Oliver got to see her.  
Felicity stood in the doorway, donning her ever present sunglasses, dressed in a knee-long, navy blue sundress, barefoot, her hair straightened and falling over her shoulders.

“I’m so sorry, am I too late? I had my nurse set me a timer on my phone to make sure I won’t be late but I have no idea if he actually did that - or if I just didn’t hear it while I was in the bathroom. I just need to get my hair finished and promise I’ll hurry up – please don’t think I’m one of these always-super-late-to-dates girls, because I’m absolutely not! It’s just that all these casts are giving me a really hard time –“

At her rambling Oliver had to giggle.  
“Felicity, breathe. You’re not too late. I’m early, actually. I just didn’t want to sit around in my room for another 15 minutes and wait until I could walk down to pick you up, I hope that’s okay? I can do another round on your Floor if you still need a bit more time to get ready.”

“Oh don’t be silly, come in! I just need 5 more minutes and we can head out.”

Felicity turned around and hopped back into the bathroom to finish doing her hair. Oliver slowly entered her Hotel room and took in the sight in front of him. There were clothes sprawled all over her bed and floor, the black Bikini and white sundress that she wore earlier at the Pool were thrown into the corner of her bed. From her bathroom Oliver heard a rumbling sound when Felicity spoke again.

“I am sure my room must look super messy, please don’t look around. I guess that’s one of the perks of being blind – I actually don’t have to take care of my room for once in my life” Felicity joked.

“Oh it’s okay, really. It doesn’t look much worse than mine right now.” Oliver replied and Felicity couldn’t stop laughing at that.

“Normally I would do something nice with my hair and apply a bit of MakeUp but I don’t want to look like a clown and I can’t put anything onto the bruise yet so this will have to do.” Felicity said and emerged from the bathroom. She had her sunglasses in hand and smiled into his direction.

“They’re blue!” Oliver said, surprise clearly visible in his voice.

“Uhm sorry, what?”

“Your eyes, they are blue!”

“Oh, uh…. Yeah. Sorry if they look a bit swollen and red.” She blushed and quickly put her sunglasses back on.

“I think they are beautiful.”

Felicity leaned in the bathroom door while they talked.  
“Well I would love to say the same about yours, but you know… “gesturing around her face “being visually impaired and all…”

She started fidgeting with the hemline of her dress. “So, uhm… I had no idea what to wear as I don't know what you’ve planned for the evening, so I opted for this dress. I hope that’s okay? You have to decide if you’d want to be seen with me like this because you’re the one that’s going to spend the night with me. And by spending the night I didn’t mean _spending the night with you_ , I meant spending the night like spending the evening and see where it goes – not that I want to imply you’re not worth spending the night with you – because obviously I don’t know. Not that I don’t want to know – I can’t know that either because we have only had one conversation and oh my god, why can’t I stop talking?”

  
Oliver couldn’t hide a wholehearted laugh while he listened to her rambling.  
“Everything’s fine, Felicity. You look absolutely stunning and I’m looking forward to spending the evening with you.”

  
“Normally I would put on a set of High Heels to match with the dress, but... “she gestured down her left leg “I can’t fit this damn thing into any of the High Heels that I packed. Well, truth is, I didn’t pack any High Heels at all, would Flip Flops do as well? I mean, one Flip Flop? I know it’s not the most accurate clothing for a restaurant, but honestly I have no idea what else to wear and going barefoot isn’t really an option…” Felicity frowned.

  
“Hey, please don’t stress yourself. A Flip Flop will do. Actually, you won’t have to be walking at all, there’s a wheelchair waiting for you outside your room – well at least I hope so. Give me a second, I’ll have a look if the really sent one up.”

  
Oliver moved up from her bed and went to check on the wheelchair while Felicity digged through her case for the right Flip Flop to wear. When she put the correct one on and stood up, she heard Oliver enter her Room again.  
“Well, there’s no wheelchair waiting for us out there, I’ll quickly call the Reception to have them send one up. Maybe they forgot. Just give me 2 minutes.”  
Felicity sat down on her bed and waited for Oliver to finish the call.  
  
“Oh that’s unfortunate. Apparently they don’t have a wheelchair available right now even though I asked them to send one up. It’s almost 8pm and we really need to head downstairs to the Restaurant so we’ll have to find another way to get you down there. I hope you don’t mind?” Oliver said, walked over to her and lifted her off the bed into his arms. Felicity let out a surprised ‘eeep’ and slung her left arm around Olivers neck and tried to relax into his hold.  
  
“Wow, you’re really strong. And you smell surprisingly good, too.” She said, leaning her head onto Olivers shoulder.  
  
“Why thank you Madame. Will you need anything else or can we start to head downstairs?”  
  
“I’m ready whenever you’re ready. Oh wait! My purse! It should be somewhere on the TV table, could you just check if it has my phone and room key in it?”  
  
“Got it. Now let’s get out of here.” Oliver smiled and started to make his way to the Hotel Restaurant.

  
The spot that the Hotel staff prepared for them was absolutely stunning. It was a warm Friday evening and they were seated in a secluded area, separated from other guests with an amazing view of the ocean. Oliver sat Felicity down and took the seat opposite of her. The waiter arrived and handed Oliver the wine menu before lighting the candle on their table.  
  
Oliver looked up from the wine menu. “I hope you like Wine?”  
  
“Oh I LOVE Wine! There are just a few things more satisfying than a glass of Red after a long day of work!”  
Oliver grinned at her and showed the waiter which Wine he chose for the evening. The waiter took the WIne mnu from Oliver and left to retrieve the ordered bottle.  
  
“Oliver…” Felicity looked up. “uhm, Oliver?”  
  
“Hm? What’s wrong?”  
  
“As much as I would love to order something to eat right now… I can’t read the menu.” Felicity blushed and mumbled into her napkin.  
  
Oliver tried to hide a small smile. “I know, that’s why I already ordered something before we arrived here. I didn’t know if there’s anything that you particularly like or dislike, so I ordered a little bit of everything they have, just to be sure.”  
  
Felicity made a surprised face and Oliver took the crumpled napkin out of her hands. “Oh and we won’t even have to bother using a fork or knife, everything will be Finger Food tonight.”  
  
“But isn’t that a bit _too_ casual for this Restaurant?”  
  
“I just want to make sure that you’re as comfortable as possible with these casts on your hand and leg. I’m sure they’re causing you enough pain already, so we don’t need to have any awkward situations involving forks or knifes tonight.” He joked.  
  
“Thank you. But it’s okay really. They don’t even hurt any more, they’re just super uncomfortable.”  
  
“I know I asked you before already and you weren’t really comfortable answering, but I really need to know… what happened?”  
Felicity put her hands in her lap and lowered her head. It took her a few moments to gather the right words before she started to speak silently.  
  
“Cooper… he is my Ex-boyfriend. Well, ex-fiancée, actually. We broke up a few weeks ago after I walked in on him, banging his secretary.”  
  
“Felicity I’m sorry, you really don’t have to tell me if you’re uncomfortable”  
  
“No it’s okay, it’s just that I don’t talk about it that often. I guess I’m just not used to it.” she said and tried to find the right words to go on with her story when the waiter arrived with the Wine.  
Oliver poured them both a glass and put the bottle aside when Felicity spoke again.  
  
“I’ll spare you the details but I quit my job at his father’s company, moved out of our Apartment and started all over. But not before doing a ‘Cheating sale’ where I sold off all his stuff for 1$ each and donated the money to Charity. Then I called Cooper’s father, telling him his son screwed his secretary on his father’s desk. Apparently that made his father kick him out of the position as the Company’s CEO.”  
  
Oliver’s eyes widened with every more detail that Felicity revealed. Before he could tell her some assuring words, Felicity started to speak again.  
  
“I didn’t see or hear from him in more than 3 weeks and it really helped me cope with everything. My best friend Caitlin let me crash on her couch during that time and one evening when I left her apartment to walk over to the gym, I noticed a car following me. Before I could cross the street, the car sped up, hit me and suddenly everything went black.” Felicity started fumbling with the napkin in her lap while she spoke and Oliver could see her trembling to find the right words. She took a large gulp of wine and exhaled loudly. “Wow, I didn’t imagine it to being so hard.”  
  
Oliver took her hand in his and slightly stroked her with his thumb.  
“It’s okay, only tell what you’re comfortable with.”  
  
“See, that’s the thing. I can’t remember much more. Next thing I remember is waking up in hospital with my Mom by my side holding my hand, everything still black around me, my left leg and arm in a cast. My head was spinning like crazy and I heard so many unfamiliar voices that I got a decent panic attack right after I woke up.”  
  
Oliver kept stroking Felicity’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly from time to time, when another waiter arrived with two plates that contained several variations of fruits, vegetables and seafood. Felicity’s stomach grumbled loudly at the delicious smell of the food and Oliver couldn’t contain a laugh when Felicity started blushing. “I’m so sorry. I haven’t eaten anything today besides breakfast and it smells just _SO_ good.”  
  
“Don't worry, I’m super hungry, too, Felicity. Why don’t we just dive in? You look like you could use a break from talking anyway.” Oliver squeezed her hand gently. “So, what do you want to try out first?”

  
Together they tasted through all the variations of food that were presented on the plates. Oliver helped Felicity with a delicious piece of spanish Hornazo (“Oliver… are you feeding me right now?”), Felicity returned the favor and forced Oliver to taste everything she could get ahold of on the plate before throwing her hand into his direction, waving delicious fruits or Gambas in his face.  
  
They had an amazing time once they started to eat. The conversation shifted to much lighter topics, both laughing at the other and Oliver clearly enjoyed Felicity’s company. They talked about her time growing up in Vegas and Felicity learned a bit about Oliver's friends Tommy and Laurel. Once they downed the 3rd bottle of Wine, Felicity started feeling a little tipsy.  
  
“Guess I shouldn’t have paired my pain meds with red wine.” she grinned.  
  
Oliver couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Even though the gash covered a large part of her cheek and she still had her sunglasses on, Oliver was fascinated by her face and the way she gestured while talking.  
  
When a comfortable silence fell over them, Felicity tilted her head to the side slightly and looked out to the beach. The waves were crashing from the ocean and Felicity sighed melancholy.  
  
Oliver grabs her hand "Hey, is everything okay? You're so quiet suddenly."  
  
"Yeah... I was just thinking."  
  
"What about?"  
  
She turned his attention to Oliver again. "You know, it's the first time I'm traveling out of North America, the first time traveling in more than 10 years at all, actually... And yet I don't even have the chance to stick my toe into the ocean because of... yeah, you know, this huge thing on my foot. I mean it would be funny if it wouldn't be so ridiculous..."  
  
she half sighed, half laughed ironically. Before Oliver could think any further, he put his napkin down, got up and around the table to where Felicity sat, tapped her on the arm. asked her "May I?" and swiped her out of her seat and securely into his arms.  
  
Felicity let out a gasp before she grabbed his Henley to steady herself. "Oliver, what are you doing? We haven't even finished eating - or won't there be Dessert? That would be a shame, I love Dessert... And where are we going? Don't we at least have to wait for the bill or something?"  
  
"Felicity, calm down. Wait a minute and you'll know where we're going."  
  
Felicity relaxed into his shoulders but kept a very confused look on her face and Oliver started walking out of the Restaurant down a little path that led them right to the private Hotel beach. When she heard the sound of the waves become louder and the noise of the Restaurant become much quieter, Felicity got suspicious.  
“Wait, are we going to the beach? Oliver, I’m not allowed to go into the water, my casts!”  
  
Oliver slipped out of his shoes and took off her Flip Flop, lowered her onto a sun bed and sat next to her. Felicity just stared out to the ocean where the sound of waves crashing came from. Oliver never took his eyes off her, watched her taking deep breaths and inhale the smell of sand and saltwater, her chest rising and falling under the navy blue dress. After a few minutes of silence between them, Felicity could feel the sun bed shift and Oliver move up beside her.  
  
“Where are you going? Please don’t leave me here, I have no idea how to get back to the – eeep“  
suddenly Oliver lifter her off the bed and into his arms once again and Felicity couldn’t contain a small laugh. “You’re really liking that, don’t you? Where are we going now?”  
  
When Oliver silently walked them through the sand but didn’t answer her question.  
“Hey Mister, I can’t see where you’re taking me, so you could at least talk to me.” Felicity protested, when she smacked his chest with her right hand. “Ow! God, you’re so hard…”  
  
Oliver couldn’t contain a giggle at her innuendo and before she could start one of her ramblings again, he cut her off and stopped walking. “Felicity, I want you to put your left arm securely around my neck and then put your right foot down. Trust me, I won’t let you fall.”  
  
Felicity thought about his words for a few seconds before she strengthened her grip on his neck and slowly started lowering her right foot down. When her toes touched the water she jerked back in surprise before lowering them again.  
“Oliver, are we standing in the ocean right now?” she asked, slowly turning her face towards him. She could feel Olivers breath on her face and knew he was staring at her before she quickly looked back to the ocean, blushing slightly.  
  
“Yes we are and I would like you to put your toes down into the ocean please. What would a vacation to Marbella be if you haven’t been in the ocean at least once?” he said and Felicity slowly lowered her foot into the water until she felt the sandy ground under her toes.  
  
“Frack, that’s cold,” she yelped and jerked her foot back up. “I take it back, I don’t want to stick my foot into the ocean any more. Who would have guessed that it’s _this_ freezing cold? Can we get out again please?” she practically whined and Oliver was amazed what cute faces Felicity could make.  
  
When he set them both back on the sun bed, Oliver took Felicity’s legs and swung them both over his bent knees. “I don’t want any sand get caught in the cast” he said, when Felicity gave him a confused look. They both listened to the waves in silence. It was Felicity who spoke up first after a while.  
  
“I really need to thank you for today, Oliver. Even with being so hesitant at first. I’m still having a very hard time figuring out how to deal with this blindness and these casts aren’t really helpful either. This has been an amazing day so far, the best one of this entire vacation. Actually it has been the best day for me since a long time ago, after everything happened with Cooper. I haven’t laughed that much in a long while, so thank you for that.”  
  
Felicity slightly leaned into Oliver’s shoulder and relaxed her head onto it when the frame of her glasses got pulled up slipped down her nose. The glasses ended up falling into Olivers lap and Felicity immediately tried to grab them and put them back on when Oliver got ahold of them.  
  
“You really don’t need these right now. The sun is down and I think your eyes are beautiful, there’s no reason to hide them.” he said when he tipped her chin up so she had to face him. Their noses were just inches apart and Felicity had to take a deep breath and focus her thoughts to not pass out at that moment.  
  
“Did the doctors ever tell you how it happened? I mean, why you lost your eyesight? When they say it’s just temporary I’m sure they must know what caused it.”  
“From what I’ve been told the car that cut me off and ran me over hit me fully on my left side, hence the broken bones on that side mostly. When I hit the ground I apparently landed face first, with full force on my cheekbone. The doctors were surprised it wasn’t broken, just severely cut and bruised, but apparently I hit the pavement with enough force that my optic nerve got partially crushed. They told me it could be anything between 6 days and 6 months until I’ll be able to fully see again but they were very optimistic, so that’s what I am, too. Then someone told me about this Doctor here in Marbella, renown for fixing eye-problems like mine. So that’s how I ended up here.” Felicity shrugged.

Oliver gently stroked her cheek with his thumb with his right hand and rested his left hand in her lap, just above her knees.  
“And I’m very glad you ended up here and I got the chance to meet you, Felicity.” he said and slowly lowered his lips over hers. It was a chaste kiss, tentative, hesitant at first. Oliver didn’t want to overwhelm her and waited for Felicity to return it. She seemed surprised, but not averse. Felicity slowly returned the kiss and started nibbling at his lower lip while stroking through the hair at his neck. Oliver groaned and deepened the kiss, his tongue slowly drawing circles over her upper lip, gently sucking on it, when Felicity suddenly pulled back and Oliver looked at her in surprise.  
  
“I’m sorry, it’s just… it’s all a little too overwhelming for me right now. I mean, I don’t even know you for a day and yet I’m sitting at the beach with you, in your lap, while doing this tongue-thing … and damn, you’re really good at that! – but… I think I should take it slow, after everything that happened in the last few weeks. And please don’t get me wrong, I would love to keep on doing this amazing tongue-thing with you - ” Oliver let out a chuckle at that and Felicity couldn’t contain the blush that covered nearly her entire face now “but could we just spend another day or two together? Just to get to know each other a bit better? I mean… if you still want to see me again.”  
  
Oliver pulled her in a tight hug and gently kissed her cheek. “I would love to spend another day with you! I wanted to ask you for over an hour now, but wasn’t sure if you would say yes, actually…”  
Felicity smiled, looking down into her lap shyly.  
  
“Felicity, would you like to spend the day with me tomorrow?”  
  
“Very much!”

 


	3. Family ties and wet kisses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the awesome Comments and all the Kudos!  
> I had no idea where I might end up when that Story started out in my head, now I'm almost finished with Chapter 5 - eeep :D

It had been a short night for Felicity. When Oliver dropped her off at her room at 2am after their Dinner Date and gave her a good night kiss that got her weak in the knees, she struggled to calm down her racing mind and get her brain to shut up. So many things went through her head.

‘He’s still a complete stranger to me. I’ve barely known him 24 hours, it’s so unlike me… but then again why does it feel so good?”

The day with Oliver had been amazing, but tiring as well. Being carried around all the time, even if by strong arms and very broad shoulders can be surprisingly exhausting. With thoughts of Olivers strong arms holding her up and carrying her down to the beach she drifted off to sleep.

 

Oliver was struggling to fall asleep no less. After he set her down at her room he didn’t know what to do. If he was being honest to himself he would have loved to stay in Felicity’s Hotel room with her that night, but his Playboy persona wouldn’t do with Felicity, he already realized that down at the Beach earlier. And he didn’t even want to be like this with her. Maybe it was finally time to let ‘Playboy Ollie’ be a person of the past…

At 8.30am Oliver awoke with a start. Thea had been wildly knocking at his door, forcing him to get up.  
“Ollie, get up and move your lazy ass out of bed! Mom and I are heading downstairs for breakfast and you will join us on our last day here! And don’t you dare to stay in bed, you don’t want me to come up here a second time, big brother. We’ll see you downstairs in 30 minutes, sharp!”

With that Thea left and Oliver let is head fall back into the pillow with a groan. He wasn’t really in the mood for breakfast nor did he want to get up that early, but the threats of his sister are none to be taken lightly, he knew that all too well.

“I’ll just take a nap at the Hotel pool later” he thought to himself and got out of bed.  
A quick shower and some Cargo shorts and a dark grey T-Shirt later and Oliver was heading downstairs to the Hotel Restaurant. Moira and Thea were already seated and waiting for him to arrive.

“Oliver, dear. Nice to see you up so soon, I didn’t expect you would join us for breakfast” Moira said with a smile.  
“I missed you last night at the Restaurant. It would have been nice to spend the last evening with both my children before we go back to Starling, but I heard you had company last night?”

Olivers eyebrows shot up and he shot Moira and his sister a look.

“I’ve seen you when we got back from the Restaurant, Ollie. Who's that girl you've been with last night?" Thea bluntly asked him.

"What?" Oliver was still too stunned to form a complete sentence.

"Don't pretend, big brother. I've seen you carry that blonde girl when we came back to the Hotel. She's the girl from the Pool, right?"

„Could you enlighten me, please, Oliver? Who is this girl Thea is talking about?“ Moira asked.

Oliver let out a loud sigh and rubbed his forehead with his palm. This wasn’t really the type of conversation he planned on having over breakfast at 8am in a Hotel Restaurant.  
“There’s not much to tell about. I met a girl at the Pool yesterday when you and Thea left. We talked for a while and I asked her out for the evening. That’s all.”

Thea let out a huff and rolled her eyes. “Yeah sure that’s why you have been carrying her around all the time, right?”

“With all your spying on me I’m surprised you haven’t seen for yourself that she has a broken wrist and foot, so yeah, I carried her around because she can hardly walk herself, Thea!” Oliver spit out. This was getting ridiculous. Since when did his family watch his every move?

“Does she know about you?”

“What are you talking about, Thea?” Oliver gritted his teeth.

“Oh, you know… your reputation with women in Starling City? Or maybe the fact that you still have a girlfriend over there?” she spat out with an evil glare, stuffing a piece of Croissant into her mouth.

“Enough, children! There is no need to make a scene this early in the morning. Well Oliver, I would like you to join us for lunch before we leave. I am sure this ‘vacation hookup’ isn’t as important as spending time with your family.” Moira said calmly while pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Wordlessly Oliver got up from the table and headed for the Restaurant Exit.

“Where are you going?” Thea called after him.

“I’m not hungry any more, please enjoy your breakfast alone. I’ll meet you at the Pool.” He called out before leaving to his Hotel room again. Thea shot him a glaring look but Oliver didn’t look back. This was getting ridiculous and he really needed to get out of there.

On his way upstairs to his Hotel Room, he thought about the last night and the fact that Felicity agreed to meet him again and spend another day with him despite the fact that she backed away from the kiss on the beach. And now his family forces him to have dinner with them. That jeopardizes his entire plan for today. He didn’t want to have lunch with his mother and sister today. He wasn’t really interested in having lunch with them at all. He could do that any time in Starling City, but time with Felicity was limited and he really wanted to spend it with her instead. He already had the entire day planned out for him and Felicity and now had to cut time with her – and he hated it.

 

Oliver didn’t see Felicity the entire morning and wondered how she might be doing. More than once he thought about going downstairs to her room and just knock at her door, but he wasn’t sure if that would be too hurried. He headed downstairs to the Pool instead and decided to just kill time until she might show up. When the nurse brought Felicity down in the wheelchair after breakfast, his face lightened up. He called out her name and Felicity motioned for her nurse to bring her over to him. Oliver got up and hugged her while she got up from her wheelchair. He already prepared the lounge bed next to him and sat her down on it.

“So how did you sleep?” she asked him while getting rid of her skirt and top and relaxing into her lounge bed.

“It took me a while to gather my thoughts and fall asleep, but I slept really really well.”

“What did you think about?”

Oliver hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should tell her about his thoughts or just put up some lame excuses. “About our date last night. And the fact that I really enjoyed spending time with you”

Felicity blushes. “I enjoyed it as well. Speaking of… I’m really looking forward to spending another day with you today.” she smiled.

“Oh yeah, about that… my Mom insisted on me joining her for Lunch today because they’ll be heading back home later. So we need to re-schedule a bit, I hope that’s okay? I could pick you up after lunch and we can spend the rest of the day together.”

“Sure, it’s not that I have somewhere else to be, so…” Felicity shrugged and sent him a genuine smile.

 

Together they spent the morning at the Pool, talked about Felicity’s family and made fun of her nurse until Oliver’s phone rang. When he picked it up, Thea’s face appeared on the screen.

“Yeah?” he answered shortly. “Fine, I’ll meet you there.”

“Who was it?”

“My sister, I need to leave for lunch and my family hates waiting, so I better hurry up. Where can I find you later? Will you stay here at the Pool all day?”

“I have no idea, honestly. My nurse isn’t really talkative, but I heard him say something about going down to the Esplanade and the Marina as soon as he’s coming back, so maybe I don’t need to kill time all day down here, even though the weather is amazing. But I have an idea.” She fumbled her mobile phone out of her bag, unlocked the screen and handed it to him.

“Put your number into my contacts, I’ll ring you then as soon as I’m back at the Hotel.”  
For a few seconds Oliver just stared at the phone in her hand, but he quickly grabbed it, added his number and name into her contacts and handed the phone back to her.

“I really need to go now” he said, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. “See you later! I have something very nice planned for today!” Oliver teased before grabbing his towel and T-Shirt and headed back into the Hotel area.

 

Lunch with his family wasn’t really one of his favorite activities at all. But lunch with his mother and sister, especially after the heated discussion during breakfast was something he really dreaded today. He knew Thea would be pressing the topic some more just to annoy him and Moira never approved of his lifestyle or the women he chose to surround himself with at all.  
When they arrived at the Restaurant and took a seat, Moira luckily started the conversation with a lighter topic.  
“So… I heard Laurel and Tommy already found their wedding venue and even picked a boat for their honeymoon?”

“Yeah, I still can’t imagine they will be spending 2 whole weeks on a boat, even though it’s a really nice one. I guess it’s just not my way of spending a honeymoon, but I’m glad they found something they both are happy with. I know Laurel can be… picky.”

“Unlike you when it comes to women, you mean?” Thea snapped from the side, not even looking up from her menu.

“Seriously Thea, what’s wrong with you? Is there anything you’d like to tell me or do I have to listen to you bitching at me during the entire lunch?” Oliver shot back at her.

“We came here to spent time as a family, Ollie! Yet you have nothing better to do than hooking up some random girl and spend time with her instead. And it’s not that you still have a girlfriend at home either!” she practically yelled at him.

“This is ridiculous, Thea! Isabel and I aren’t even a couple anymore! We broke up weeks ago, not that it’s any of your business.”

“Could we please drop the subject now, children? It’s our last day here and I’d like to enjoy lunch with both of you instead of putting up yet another fight in public.” Moira interrupted before Thea had the chance to say something.

“Oliver, are there any news from your Football Sponsors? I assume they finally found someone willing to take over the Sponsorship of your Team to get them out in the field again?”

“Not yet, but I’ll get in touch with them again as soon as I’m back in Starling to see if there’s any news.”

“You should really consider changing to a different team if you want to keep doing this professionally. It’s not good for your reputation if they keep you in the loop and don’t let you go out there and play.”

“Mom, like I said before, I’m not going to leave the Archers. Joining the team in Coast City is not even an option, I’m not going to waste my season sitting on the substitutes bench, waiting for their main Quarterback to get injured or give me his spot freely. Not going to happen.”  
Moira frowned, but knew better to drop the topic than risk Oliver leaving the Restaurant.

They ate in silence mostly, and Oliver was grateful for that. During almost the entire vacation his mother and sister had been bugging him about his job, his private life, pretty much everything. If it weren’t for Tommy and Laurel, he would have never agreed to join them on their vacation. Now that he met Felicity, he was really happy he agreed to come with them.

They were on the way back to their Hotel when Olivers phone rang. ‘Unknown caller’, that could only mean Felicity would be calling him. With a smile on his face he took the call.  
“Hello?”

“Oliver, what a pleasant surprise you finally picked up. I was beginning to think you are ignoring my calls.”

“Isabel.” he gritted his teeth, the smile fading from his face as fast as it appeared. “What do you want?”

“I wanted to ask when you will be returning from your vacation. I’d like to have dinner with you in the near future and talk about everything.”

“I already told you there’s nothing to talk about any more. You made a decision and so did I.”  
There was a silence before Isabel spoke again and for a second Oliver wondered if she was still on the phone.

“Well there’s a matter I would like to discuss with you anyways. Please give me a call as soon as you are back in Starling City.” With that she hung up. Oliver shoved his phone back into his pants and let out a loud sigh. Thea just grinned at him and shook her head in disbelief, but remained silent.

Just before they got back into the Hotel Lobby, Oliver’s phone rang again.

“Your women are keeping you quite busy, aren’t they?” Thea just shot his direction before giving Moira a peck on the cheek. “I’ll be going down to the beach for another hour.”

“Fine, dear. Just make sure you’re on time when the driver will pick us up.” Moira smiled and patted her daughters shoulder.

“I need to leave as well, mom.” Oliver said and hugged his mother. “I’ll see you in Starling!” Moira gave him a small smile and watched him head upstairs to his Hotel room.

 

Oliver looked down at his still ringing phone. Unknown caller again.  
“Isabel, if this is your way of trying to change my desci – “

“Who’s Isabel?” Felicity interrupted him.

“Felicity, hi! I’m sorry, I didn’t have your number yet and expected someone else. Where are you? Ready for our Date?” Oliver asked, his mood changing considerably after hearing Felicity’s voice.

“Absolutely. Will you pick me up at my room? I have no idea where my nurse is right now, he won’t even answer his damn phone.”

“We really need to do something about this nurse, Felicity. He can’t just drop you off at the Pool and leave you there all day.”

“I’d rather not talk about my nurse right now, Oliver. Pick me up, I’m bored!” she joked and Oliver had to grin.

“Already on my way.” he said when Felicity heard someone knock on her door.

“Oh hold on Oliver, someone just knocked on my door.”  
When Felicity hopped through her room and opened the door, Oliver stood in front of her, phone still at his ear.

“Hi.” He grinned at the sight of Felicity in front of him in her familiar black sunglasses. She immediately ended the call and smiled at him.  
“You’re fast.” She said and motioned for him to come inside.  
“I have no idea what you have planned for today, so you need to help me picking the right outfit.” Felicity said, gesturing to the pile of clothes on her bed. She was still wearing her outfit from the Pool, a bright pink skirt and a black tank top over her black bikini.

“Black might be a bit warm as we will be out in the sun, mostly.” he said and looked onto her bed to find a nice alternative.

“Oh, okay... well, then...” Felicity just said and quickly took off the tank top.  
Olivers breath caught once again when he took in the sight in front of him. The bright pink skirt hugged her curves perfectly and matched her sun-kissed skin very well. When she turned around and tossed the black top aside, Oliver saw the tattooed wings covering her back again.

“I really like your Tattoo. Even though I didn’t expect you to be a person that’s into Tattoos at all, to be honest.”

“Are you checking me out while I’m turning my back on you, Oliver?” Felicity teased, grinning at him over her shoulder.

“Absolutely.” He bluntly replied which made Felicity blush and giggle.

“Now will you pick me a shirt or do I have to do it myself? I’m not sure if you want to be seen with me if I pick one, there’s not much that matches the bright pink color of my skirt, so there’s a decent chance I might pick a terrible top to match…” she teased him.

“How do you even know what color the clothes have that you wear?” he asked surprised while shuffling though the pile of tops, skirts and dresses.

“I only packed clothes that I can distinguish. That’s why I only brought two bikinis, for example. The grey one doesn’t have any metal studs on the braids, so I don’t have to worry I might mis-match anything with the black one. Caitlin helped me pack the skirts and dresses, otherwise I would have gone insane. It just gets a little complicated when it comes to the tops, so let’s see… you say black will be too dark… I’m sure Caitlin packed me a dark grey bandeau top, too. Could you try and find it for me, please?” she said nervously, while fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

“Sure, but what exactly is a bandeau top?” Oliver gave her a confused look and stared at the pile of clothes again.

Felicity couldn’t hide the laugh at his confused tone. “It’s a top, tight fitted, without any straps and sleeves.”

“Ahh, got it!” Oliver called out, pulling the grey top out of the mess of clothes and brushing her hands with it. Felicity grabbed it, made sure it was right side up and put it over her head. After adjusting it, she turned to face Oliver again.  
“How do I look?” she asked, gesturing with her hands down herself.

“You look perfect, Felicity. Now let’s head out, I have a lot planned for today and we don’t want to run late.”

Felicity grabbed her handbag and followed Oliver out of her room. When Oliver swiped her off her feet and placed her in a wheelchair waiting outside of her room, Felicity let out a surprised ‘eeep’.  
“Wait, you won’t be carrying me around all day, Oliver? I must say I’m disappointed. Am I too heavy?” she teased and grinned at him.

“I would love to carry you around all day, but the wheelchair will have to do for now.”

When they arrived at the Lobby, Oliver went straight to the Receptionist.  
“Hello Mr. Queen, how can I help you?”

“I need a car for the day. Could you arrange something, please?”

“Of course, Mr. Queen. Anything preferences?”

“No, not at all, just please make sure I can fit a wheelchair in it.”

 

“So… Mister Queen, huh?” Felicity teased while Oliver walked her back to the Lounge area of the Lobby.  
Oliver nervously rubbed his neck. “Uhm, yeah. I just didn’t want you to get a wrong first impression of me, that’s why I didn’t tell you before.”

“Tell me what?” Felicity looked up at him, clearly confused. Oliver rolled her to a Couch and took a seat beside her.  
“Uhm, my last name? There’s so much gossip going around and I was afraid I might scare you off.”

“I honestly have no idea what you are talking about, Oliver. I don’t care for gossip. Never did, never will. I don’t even read any of these gossip magazines.”  
The look on Olivers face constantly changed between confused and relieved. Could she be telling the truth? Didn’t she know anything that the media said about Oliver Queen, Quarterback of the Starling Archers and Playboy extraordinaire? Sure, she was from Los Angeles, but in the past Oliver more than often made sure he made it into the Newspapers of out-of-State Cities as well, so he was surprised Felicity didn’t know him at all.

“I just have one question for you and please answer it honestly, Oliver.” her serious tone and straight face made Oliver flinch.

“Is it true what these gossip papers and tabloids say?”

“Part of it. I’m not gonna lie Felicity, I have a wild past that I’m not proud of. I dated quite a lot of women, partied around with Tommy and even got arrested” he took her hand in his, squeezing it gently “but I’m not like that anymore, I promise.”

“That’s all I need to hear. And it’s not like I could read any of these tabloids right now anyway, so…” Felicity smiled at him.

“Mr. Queen? Your car is waiting for you outside. Will you need any assistance getting the wheelchair into the trunk?”  
He took the keys off the desk and thanked the Receptionist. “We’re fine, thank you.”

 

Oliver rolled Felicity to the passenger side of the car and opened the door for her. She quickly got seated, Oliver placed the wheelchair in the back of the car and took the seat next to Felicity.  
“Wow.”  
“Hm?” Oliver looked over to her and watched Felicitys fingers glide over the smooth leather of the seat.  
“That’s probably the most comfortable car seat I ever sat on. And this car smells SO good… like, Leather and –“  
“Air freshener?” Oliver joked.  
Felicity let out a laugh “No, more like leather and new car smell. What is it?”  
“It’s a Porsche. Convertible, actually. What do you think… should we go topless today?” Oliver’s smirking tone made Felicity laugh out loud.  
“I would love to go topless with you, Oliver!” she laughed and buckled her seatbelt.

Oliver opened the roof and started to pull out of the Hotel’s driveway. The drive took a little longer than Felicity expected, but the warm sun and wind in her hair made her relax into the car seat. Occasionally, Olivers fingers grazed her left thigh while he shifted the gears and every time Felicitys skin tingled wildly in response.  
When Oliver slowed down and came to a halt, Felicity tried to sence any sounds to make out where they might be. She couldn’t hear the sound of waves crashing, so they obviously weren’t at the beach. Before she could get lost in her thoughts, the car door opened and Oliver lend her a hand and helped her into the wheelchair.  
“Will you tell me where we are now, Oliver? I hate mysteries!” Felicity pouted and Oliver had to fight back a grin at her behavior. She was too sweet when she was annoyed.

“We’re at the Marbella Safari Park.” he said and Felicitys eyes went wide.

“Are you serious? I haven’t been to a Zoo since I was a kid!”

“Absolutely serious. I thought it was a better idea than just spending time at the beach. But we’re not doing the standard Tour like all the other Tourists. I figured it would be too boring for you so I booked a special tour just for the two of us.” Oliver rolled them to the main entrance where a Park Ranger was waiting for them already.

“Hola, I’m Maria! I will be your personal guide for today.” the woman said and gestured them to enter the Park. “We will do a lot of different things today and if there are any animals you are afraid of, please let me know.”

“Kangaroos!” Felicity blurted out. “And spiders. They climb up the walls and hang upside down. It freaks me out.”

“Kangaroos?” Oliver grinned? “What’s wrong with them? They’re cute!”

“No, Oliver, they’re not! I used to think like you as a kid, until an incident at the Zoo that I will never talk about when I was 9 years old, so no. Kangaroos are NOT cute!” Felicity gave him a stern look and Oliver was surprised how serious she was. It made him giggle anways.

“Okay, no Kangaroos then.” Maria said. “Let’s go, the first animals are already waiting for us!”

 

Oliver and Felicity followed Maria into a large building. It smelled a lot of animals and Felicity could hear birds chirping. When Oliver led her up a ramp and motioned for her to get up, Felicity hooked her arm into Olivers.

Maria handed them both a bushel of hay and made a whistling sound that echoed through the entire building. When Felicity heard footsteps becoming louder, Maria spoke again.

“So this is our Giraffe House and this big buddy here“ she spoke while a large head made his way to the hay bushels Oliver and Felicity held “this is Kimary, one of our Masai Giraffes.”  
Kimary slid his tongue around the bushel of hay that Felicity held and gently tugged at it. Felicity jerked back at the sudden movement in front of her and grabbed Olivers arm in a death grip.

“It’s okay, he’s very friendly. Kimary has been raised by humans after his mother passed away. He’s one of the friendliest animals we have at the Park. You can touch him if you’d like, he loves a good face scratch” Maria said.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked her and gently squeezed her arm.

“Yeah, just a little overwhelmed, that’s all.” She smiled at him and loosened her grip from his arm. When she gently moved her hand forward, Kimary immediately snapped his head back to her and started rubbing his forehead on her palm. “Wow, his fur is surprisingly soft. I always thought Giraffes were kind of scratchy.”

While Kimary scratched himself on Felicity’s hand and Maria told her more about the Giraffes they have at the Park, Oliver fumbled through Felicity’s handbag and quickly grabbed out her phone. He unlocked the screen and took a picture of Felicity and the Giraffe and stashed the phone back in her bag.

 

Through the afternoon Maria showed them many more amazing animals. Felicity got a kiss from two dolphins, sang with a Cockatoo that sat on her shoulder and even scratched the back of a friendly hippo. Every time Felicity got distracted, Oliver snatched her phone and took a quick picture of it.

When the sun started to set, they arrived back at the main gates of the Park.

“Thank you SO much, Maria. This has been an amazing day. I really enjoyed it here!” Felicity said. Maria gave her a hug and shook hands with Oliver.  
“If you’re ever coming back to Marbella, please pay us a visit.” She said and waved them goodbye.

Before Oliver could lift her into the passenger seat again, Felicity tightly hugged him. “Thank you. For everything. These two days have been the most awesome since everything that happened. I always struggle with that blindness thing going on in my life right now, but you make it so much easier for me. I wasn’t able to enjoy any of this vacation until I met you. You have no idea how much all this means to me, Oliver.”

Oliver gently tipped her chin upward and placed a kiss on her lips. Felicity responded quickly and he was glad she didn’t back away. When she started nibbling at his lower lip he gently outlined her lips with his tongue. Felicity parted her lips slightly and Oliver took the cue. He deepened the kiss and started exploring every corner of her mouth. Felicity swung her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. Her mind started spinning like crazy but she dared to stop him.  
They parted their lips and both gasped for air. Felicity’s sunglasses were foggy and askew, her lips were kiss swollen and a slight beard burn started to form around her mouth.

“Wow, you’re really good at that. And I love that beard” she said while gently rubbing her thumb over his cheek “even though I’m sure my face must look horrible right now.”

Oliver grinned at her and Felicity put her head on his chest. His heartbeat was strong and fast, and she loved the sound of it. “God, I still have so many questions.” She said while listening to his heartbeat slowing down.

“Then ask them.” Oliver mumbled into her hair while stroking her lower back in slow circles.

“Where do you come from? What do you do for a living? Are you single? I mean – I hope you are, otherwise we’d be in huge trouble. Well, more you than me, but you get what I mean…”

Oliver laughed into her hair and gently kissed the top of her haid.  
“Of course I’m single. I’m living in Starling City, and I’m the Quarterback of the Starling Archers” Oliver slowly replied.

“Oh… that explains the broad chest.” Felicity slightly poked it with her finger.

“Now I got a question as well” Oliver said, never ending the hug they were still in.

“Only fair.”

“Why do you have such a huge tattoo on your back? Does it have a meaning?”

“Technically that were two questions, Oliver” Felicity teased.

“Oh really? Well then I have a third one for you. Can I see you again?”

“Oliver, you’re leaving in two days.”

“I mean after Marbella. I don’t want this to be a bubble that will explode once I leave back home. I want to see you again, get to know you, REALLY know you, Felicity.” Oliver gently stroked her hair and peppered her head with kisses.

“Let’s get back to the Hotel first. And I’ll answer all your questions while we’re on the way”

Felicity gently loosened herself from Oliver and took the passenger seat.  
When Oliver started and led them out of the Park Area, a comfortable silence fell over them. Felicity stared straight ahead and Oliver took her hand in his and placed it on her left thigh.

“So, are you going to tell me the story about that Tattoo on your back?”

“There’s not much to tell, actually. I got it when I was 18. Asked my Mom if I could get tongue piercing and she didn’t allow, but joked ‘you could get a tattoo instead.’ I guess she didn’t consider me taking her joke seriously. So that’s what I did. I took my best friend and went straight to the Tattoo Shop. We looked through all the books and templates there and my eyes landed on a pair of angel wings. They reminded me of my grandma, so I asked the Tattoo artist to draw some wings onto my back. He made sure they matched my figure perfectly and started inking. It took me 5 damn hours to get them both done and I wouldn’t walk straight for a week.” She laughed. “Mom was furious when she found out, to say the least. She wanted to sue the Tattoo artist and threatened to ground me till the end of her life if I ever got any more tattoos. I think she didn’t like it.”

Oliver couldn’t contain a laugh and Felicity had to giggle as well at the thought. “She still doesn’t like them but I think they’re beautiful. They still remind me of my Grams and the crazy times that I had at that age.”

“I think they are beautiful, and they draw a lot of attention. Well, from me, at least.” Oliver admitted and kissed the back of her hand.

 

They arrived at their Hotel around 9pm and when Oliver handed the car keys back to the Receptionist, Tommy walked down into the Lobby.  
“Ollie! Where have you been all day! I hoped to catch you when Moira and Thea left but you were nowhere to be found. Your mom said you had a date?”

Tommy looked down at Felicity sitting in the wheelchair with Oliver steadily gripping the handles.  
“And who is this lovely creature you are with?” Tommy said, offering a hand to Felicity.  
When Felicity didn’t move a muscle but just smiled in Tommy’s direction, Oliver took her hand and guided it into Tommy’s outstretched palm. “This is Felicity. Felicity, this is Tommy.” Oliver slowly replied while Felicity shook Tommy’s hand and smiled at him.

“Tommy Merlyn, very nice to meet you.”  
“Ollie, I was going to ask you to join us for Dinner. If you haven’t eaten yet? It would be a pleasure if you’d join us, too, Felicity.” Tommy offered.

At that, Felicity’s stomach made a loud grumbling sound. “Oh god, this is so embarrassing. But as you might have heard, I haven’t eaten anything yet, so I would like to join you for Dinner, if that’s okay for you, Oliver? As long as you’re not going into some fancy Restaurant because I’m not sure if I can eat oysters or lobster with this cast” Felicity waggled her left hand in front of her which made Tommy laugh.

“Felicity, would you excuse us for a second? I’ll be right back.” Oliver said while rubbing her arm.

“Oh of course! It seems Tommy was looking for you anyways so I’m sure you guys have to discuss some stuff. I’ll just wait here and try to finally get ahold of my nurse.”

 

Oliver walked into the Lounge area with Tommy, just far enough that Felicity would be out of hearing distance.  
“Tommy, I’m not sure if this is a good idea. I just met her.”

“Why not Ollie, because she’s sitting in a wheelchair? Come on, she is lovely! And funny! And like she said, as long as we’re not going anywhere too fancy, she’ll be fine.”

“She doesn’t know about Isabel. And I don’t want her to know. So if we’re doing this, could you please tell Laurel to keep any past-relationships of mine off the table for tonight? I don’t want to scare her off.”

“I’m sure we can manage that. I’ll tell Laurel and we’ll meet at the Hotel Restaurant in 30 minutes. Will that work for you guys?”

“Thanks, Tommy. I really appreciate that. I had enough fights with Thea and Mom for a month, so I would at least like to enjoy a relaxed evening with Laurel and you.” Oliver said and patted his shoulder. Tommy winked at him and headed upstairs to his fiancée.

 

When Oliver got back to Felicity, he gently kissed her head and rolled her to the elevators.  
“Well it seems my nurse is currently unavailable, according to his Mailbox. So, did you and Tommy catch up?”

“Yes we did. And we’ll have dinner with him and Laurel in 30 minutes, so we better hurry up. I don’t want to hear another of these spooky sound your stomach makes.” Oliver laughed.

“Excuse me? Feeding giraffes and seals and Zebras is pretty awesome, but I didn’t eat anything besides breakfast today, so … sorry, not sorry.” Felicity pouted.

The elevator ride to Felicity’s floor was quick and Oliver swept her out of the wheelchair and into her Hotel room before she could blink.

“Do I have to change for Dinner? I better change, I’m sure I smill like fish and giraffe fur.” she said and stripped out of her top and skirt. She hopped into her bathroom to quickly wash her hands and face. Oliver couldn’t stop staring at her, drinking her in. Even with the cast on her foot she was moving gracefully and he was tempted to just walk over to her, hug her from behind and pepper her back with kisses. But he just stayed there, listening to her rambling about the Dinner while she stood in her bathroom.  
“There should be a black dress somewhere in my travel case, with a silver metal belt, could you grab this for me, please?”

Oliver immediately started searching for the dress and handed it to her when he found it.

Felicity turned away from him, put on the dress and started removing her Bikini top before putting the straps over her shoulder and pulling the zipper up. Oliver caught himself staring at her back once again, forcing to take a step back. The dress looked beautiful. It ended just above her knees in a flowy skirt and her Tattoo was almost completely hidden. When she stepped out of the bathroom, her glasses were firmly back in place and she smelled of Vanilla and Roses. Her blonde locks were firmly put in place in a ponytail.

“Alright, let’s do this.” she said and grabbed her handbag.


	4. Food Fights and Stormy Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, folks! It was my birthday last week and I spent an entire week away from any electronics, which was nice but put this Story on hold for a while. BUT we're back on it!

When the elevator arrived at the Lobby and Oliver rolled Felicity out in the wheelchair, Tommy and Laurel were already waiting for them.  
After Oliver greeted Tommy and gave Laurel a peck on the cheek, he turned his attention to Felicity again.  
“Felicity, I’d like you to meet Laurel, the fiancée and better half of my best friend.”

Felicity couldn’t contain a smile at that and outstretched her hand when she heard Laurel taking a step forward.  
“Very nice to meet you, Felicity. Though I must say I’m surprised Oliver brings a Plus 1 to this Dinner, I take it you just met?” Oliver gave her a stern look and Tommy nudged her with his shoulder, but Felicity was quick to speak up.  
“Yeah well, I met Oliver at the Pool yesterday morning. He saved me from dying of boredom by spending time with me and talking to me when no one else did. And apparently he talked me into agreeing to have Dinner with you guys, too.” she tilted her head in Olivers direction but didn’t say a word. She _knew_ he was watching her. “If you’re not okay with it I would understand! I mean it’s your Dinner Date and you don’t even know me, I wouldn’t want to have a stranger at my Dinner table either, so – “  
“Felicity, it’s okay, really. We would love for you to join us, like I said earlier.” Tommy interrupted her.

When an uncomfortable silence fell over the group, Oliver asked Tommy to start heading into the Restaurant. When Tommy took Laurel’s hand and started walking out of the Hotel to the waiting Limo, Oliver quickly followed him with Felicity.

“Where are we going, Tommy? I thought we’d have Dinner at the Hotel Restaurant?”

“After you and Felicity agreed to join us tonight I had an idea. We're not going to a normal Restaurant this time. If Felicity can't see what she'll be eating I'd say it would only be fair if no one else can either.” Tommy grinned at him, Laurel sharing an equal grin on her face.

Felicity gave Oliver a worried look. This was way out of her comfort zone. She wasn’t particularly fond of going to a Restaurant at all in her current state, let alone with two complete strangers that happen to be Oliver’s best friends.

“Tommy what are you talking about?”

“We'll be having a Dinner in the Dark tonight and it'll be a shitload of fun! Talking about equal rights and stuff.” Tommy’s grin was still plastered on his face and Oliver could visibly see Felicity relax in the wheelchair.

“That’s sounds like a fun idea, but please don’t put yourself on my account! I know I said I’m not the best company when it comes to a normal Restaurant but I’m sure I can manage.”

“Too late, the table’s already been booked. And we should really hurry up if we don’t want to be late.” Laurel shoved Tommy into the Limo and followed him inside.

Oliver just shook his head and leaned down to Felicity.  
“Are you really okay with that? We could cancel at any time if you don’t feel comfortable – “  
“Oliver it’s fine. It sounds like fun and Tommy and Laurel are… nice. Besides, I’m hungry as hell, so let’s go.” Felicity got up from the wheelchair and Oliver guided her to the Limo where she grabbed Tommy’s outstretched hand and got herself seated inside the car.

 

The drive to the Restaurant had been a short one and all Felicity could do was listening to Laurel and Tommy talk about their wedding plans, possible menus, dress colors and more wedding stuff. Laurel apparently was in 100% wedding-mode, judging the way all the information bubbled out of her. Felicity had to giggle, normally she was the one who babbled around and people would stare at her. It was rare to meet someone who could talk as profusely as she did.

The group arrived at the Restaurant and were quickly led to their table. Their waiter, a tall young man with night goggles on his head, explained them all the basics of a Dinner in the Dark and quickly got everyone something to drink before reading the Menu out loud. After everyone made his order and the waiter left again, the first rumbling on the table was to be heard, followed by a giggle of, what appeared to be, Tommy.

“Shit, I think I spilled my drink” Laurel spoke up and both Oliver and Tommy burst into a fit of laughter.

“This isn’t funny, Tommy!” she pouted and tried to smack his arm, which sent various forks and knifes shattering to the ground. “Oh god please help me. I’m pretty sure I’ll kill someone before we even had Dessert! Is it always like that, Felicity?” Laurel asked with a slightly stressed out tone.

“Trust me, it gets better. The first day I was back home I managed to make havoc of my bathroom, my closet, shattered two vases, several mugs and I am pretty sure I’ll never be able to get my bookshelf in alphabetical order again.” Felicity giggled. “But after a few days I got comfortable mostly. At least with the surroundings that I knew before my accident. So this right now, we’ll I think we’re all in the same boat.” she grinned.

“Was anyone able to locate their drink yet? I don’t want to spill mine as well but I’d at least like to know what the waiter poured us” Tommy laughed and Oliver started fishing over the table, trying to find the stem of his glass. Felicity beat him to it and took a sip of her drink.  
“Hmmm, red wine. A pretty delicious one, too!” she hummed.

“Oh really? Barely 5 minutes after we have taken a seat and I already spilled red wine all over the table? Oh I damn hope that waiter returns soon with another fill up or I’ll steal your drink, Merlyn.” Laurel grinned in Tommy’s direction while he tried to locate the glass on his table himself.

Olivers right hand ghosted along the tablecloth, trying to find Felicity’s thigh. When he found it, he gently squeezed it, leaned in her direction and whispered in her ear.  
“Are you feeling fine? I know this is a weird situation.”  
“I’m more than fine, actually. This is funny, stop worrying about me, Oliver.” she said with a smile, letting her left hand with the cast rest above his hand on her thigh. He gently took her fingers and interlaced them with his before slowly starting to stroke the inside of her hand with his thumb. Felicitys heartbeat sped up at that, not knowing what to do in this situation. She just let him stroke her hand while he listened to Laurel and Tommy arguing over Tommy’s glass of wine.

 

When the food had been served and Laurel received another glass of red, they started eating and continued to make a mess of their table, drinks and clothes.  
“Thank god I’m wearing black tonight. I’m not sure if anything else would survive the meat and wine stains I’m covered in already. Thank god it’s dark outside, too. I’m pretty sure we’ll look like idiots when we’ll return to the Hotel later” Felicity laughed and everyone else on the table joined her.

 

After several bottles of red wine, 2 hours of laughing and giggling and food covering nearly everyone of them, they decided to pass Dessert and head back to the Hotel instead. Laurel and Felicity both felt a bit tipsy, Felicity because of the meds that she still had to take (“Apparently they still don’t mix well with wine.”) and Laurel because she managed to snag Tommy’s wine glass several times after she emptied hers and the waiter wasn’t quick enough with a refill.

When they took a seat in the Limo, Oliver put his arm around Felicity and pulled her into a strong hug. Tommy pulled a pea out of Laurels hair and threw it in Olivers direction.  
“Tommy, how dare you!” he mocked and took the pea to throw it back at him, hitting Laurel straight in the face instead. Resting her head on Tommy’s shoulder starting to fall asleep though she didn’t care at all. She just rubbed her nose and snuggled into Tommy’s neck a bit more.

Felicity made the best out of her situation and rested her hand on Olivers chest. Her sunglasses long forgotten, thrown into her bag, she closed her eyes and let herself be carried away by Olivers strong heartbeat. Oliver pressed soft kisses to her head and nuzzled his nose into her hair, inhaling her scent. Tommy watched him the entire time and when Oliver looked up, he saw Tommy’s blank stare and raised eyebrows. Oliver just shook his head, ending the silent conversation before it even started, resting his chin on Felicity’s head again.

 

The car arrived at the Hotel and Tommy carried Laurel into the Lobby to put her into one of the Lounge chairs, his jacket securely wrapped around her shoulders. When he got back to the car, Oliver had placed an equally sleepy Felicity in her wheelchair already, starting to head for the elevators when Tommy stopped him.  
“Don’t break her heart, buddy. She’s a good girl.” Tommy silently said to Oliver while keeping an eye on Felicity to make sure she won’t wake up.

Oliver took a few steps away from the wheelchair, pulling Tommy with him. “I have no idea what you are talking about, Tommy. I’m not going to break anyone’s heart!”

“Does she know you’ll be leaving back home on Monday? Does she know about your life in Starling? Heck, does she even know about Isabel? Look Ollie, you know I’m the last person to tell you how to live your life, but this girl –“ pointing in Felicity’s direction, who still sat in her wheelchair sound asleep “- she is so light hearted and lovely, she doesn’t deserve any of that.”

Tommy caught him off guard. Oliver didn’t even know what to think, let alone say to that.  
“What do you think I’ll do? Fuck her and then dump her just in time before I’ll board the flight back home? You should know me better than that, Tommy. You, of all people!” he spat out, not caring for other people in the Lobby giving them a confused look.

“Relax, that’s not what I said, buddy. Just… do the right thing, Ollie. See you tomorrow.”  
Tommy patted his shoulder and turned to pick up Laurel and head upstairs to their room. Oliver just stood in the lobby, looking at Tommy and Laurel leaving for the elevator, processing what Tommy just said to him. He didn’t want to break Felicity’s heart. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he would want to take her home to Starling City with him, just to spend more time with her, get to know her better and see where things lead them. But he knew that wasn’t possible.

 

When he rolled her out of the elevator and to her Room, he picked out her key card and opened the door. Lifting her out of the wheelchair slightly woke her up and Felicity curled her nose deep into Olivers neck and hummed slightly while he carried her to her bed. Oliver moved all her clothing from the bed and placed her onto it, helping her out of her dress and taking off her earrings. When he pulled the blanked over her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, put her phone and sunglasses on the nightstand and left the room with a sigh.

 

Sleep came slowly for him, Olivers mind kept him occupied with memories of the last 2 days. “Two freaking days” he murmured to himself. That’s all it took to make him fall head over heels for Felicity. So much even his best friend and apparently his sister have noticed, too. With thoughts about their very first conversation and the sound of rumbling and rain hitting the balcony door, Oliver drifted off to sleep.

 

When his phone started buzzing on his desk, he got out of bed with a groan and picked it up.  
It was 2:14am. Who would call him at that time?? When he looked at the caller ID he quickly answered.  
“Felicity, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just…. uhm… did I wake you? I’m so sorry.”

“Felicity, what’s wrong?”

“I just awoke and… uh… I know this is crazy to ask in the middle of the night, but… could you get me something to drink maybe? The thunderstorm woke me up and I ran out of water and I’m thirsty as hell. And the receptionist told us when we checked in not to drink the water from the faucet and I don’t know how to call the Reception and –“

“Felicity. I’m on my way. Any preferences?”

“Just water.”

When another thunder rumbled through the night, Felicity jumped back. She hated thunderstorms with every fiber of her body, even more since she lost her eyesight. They freaked her out and kept her awake all night. Just as the rain got heavier and hit the windows of her room hard, she heard a soft knock at her door. She quickly got out of bed and hopped to the door, not caring that she was just in her underwear. She opened and let Oliver in.

“I got you water, orange juice and some kind of lemon soda.” He said when he took a seat on the edge of her bed. She hopped back in and crawled under her blankets again.

“Water please, I just need to get rid of that taste in my mouth.” Felicity said and took the bottle from his hands. Just when she put the cap back on the bottle, another thunder rumbled through the night and she jerked back.

“Hey, calm down, everything’s okay.” Oliver moved up the bed to sit next to her, wrapping her in his strong arms. “I hate thunderstorms, they freak me out.” she frowned and Oliver tightened his grip on her. When Felicity realized he was just wearing sleep shorts and a T-Shirt, she stiffened.  
“Oliver, did you go down to the Lobby like this?”

“Of course I did, it’s 2am. Do you think I put on a suit just because someone might see me like this?” he grinned and Felicity had to giggle.  
They kept talking for a few more minutes and Felicity visibly relaxed in his arms. When she yawned, Oliver slowly released her and started making his way back to the door, only to be stopped by her hand on his wrist.

“Stay… please.” Felicity said shyly.

“Felicity… are you sure?”

“Yes, please. Just… stay with me tonight. I don’t want to wake up to the thunderstorm alone again… please, Oliver?” she moved to the side of the bed, lifting the blanket slowly, urging him to join her.

 

He hesitated for a long moment, unsure on what to do. Eventually he kicked off his shoes and socks and settled in next to her. He put his phone next to hers on the nightstand, turned off the lights and lowered his head onto the pillow next to her. Felicity turned to the side, resting her head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her, slowly drawing circles with his fingers on her back. He kissed her head gently and Felicity rested her left hand on his stomach, her fingers slightly slipping under the hem of his shirt. Touching his skin sent sparks through her entire body and she couldn’t stop herself from starting to gently stroke his abs with her finger tips. Oliver seemed to notice because she could feel him tense up.

“Felicity… you’re supposed to sleep.”

“Oh I’m sorry, **_mom_** , but it’s scary outside and I need to calm down first before I can fall asleep again.” she challenged him.

“Oh, and stroking my stomach calms you down?” he grinned at her.

“Absolutely.”

“Well then, keep going.” he laughed.

 

Felicity kept stroking his abs very slightly, just letting her fingertips graze over his skin, tracing the thin line of hair from his navel down to the waistband of his sleep shorts and back up. When Olivers heartbeat slowed down and his breathing became more calm and deep, Felicity became more confident. She slowly moved her hand up his abs to his chest, ruffling his shirt up in the process. Felicity kept stroking his chest and stomach slightly and placed her face on his chest again. When she felt naked skin on her cheek, she gave his chest a gentle kiss before relaxing into him again. Her actions woke Oliver up again and just before her fingertips started tracing the thin line of hair below his navel again, his hand gripped her arm and stopped her movement.

“Fe-li-ci-ty… what are you doing?” he grumbled silently into her hair, kissing her head.

“…can’t sleep” she mumbled into his T-Shirt.

“You really need to stop that because I can’t sleep either if you keep doing this.”

“What if I don’t want you to fall asleep?” she said before kissing his chest again, her lips slightly grazing his left nipple and he hissed at the feeling.  
Oliver took a deep breath. “Felicity you really need to stop. We should get some rest now.”

When Oliver let go of her arm, her fingers started wandering over his stomach again, below his navel and down his hips over his sleep shorts until she could feel a very prominent bulge. Oliver hissed at her touch. “You sure you can sleep with that?”

Oliver took Felicity’s hand, rolled her on her back and towered above her, his bulge pressing firmly into her hips. He pinned her hands above her head and leaned down to kiss her.  
“As much as I would love to keep doing this right now, we really can’t Felicity. I’ll leave on Monday and I don’t want ruin the amazing weekend we had by messing this up now. I don’t want to break your heart, Felicity. So please, PLEASE let’s just sleep, enjoy each others company tonight and see what tomorrow brings.” he said, kissing her forehead gently.

 

Felicity just nodded, not able to say anything. Her mind was racing over what Oliver just said to her but she couldn’t understand. She wanted this, wanted him and she knew very well that he would be leaving the next day, which was why she behaved bolder than she’d ever been. But apparently Oliver didn’t want to sleep with her, she just couldn’t put her finger on the reason behind it.

Was it because she was temporarily blind? Was he afraid she might not see and know what to do?  
Or wasn’t she attractive enough? “Yeah, nope… the bulge in his pants said enough” she thought to herself.  
With her mind racing, she turned to the side with Oliver curling up behind her, draping his arm over her ribs to let it rest on her stomach. He nuzzled her neck and peppered her shoulder with kisses.  
“Good night, angel wings” he said and closed his eyes.

 

It took them both a long time to finally fall asleep.


	5. Last night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand here we have Chapter 5. It'll get interesting soon!
> 
> Also I want to thank you all for the Kudos and Comments, especially gigigirl31. You're like my No.1 fangirl. <3

Felicity woke up to birds chirping and the sun warming her skin, momentarily disoriented by her surroundings. It took her a couple of seconds to realize she was in her room, safely tucked in her bed with the feeling of a warm body behind her back and an arm draped over her side, tugging her close to said body. She inhaled sharply at the warm press of the body against her. Oliver was spooned up behind her with his arm over her waist. Felicity closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy his embrace.  
When she let out a sigh, Oliver moved behind her and flipped so he was above her.  
"Good morning,” his voice was rough, laced with sleep. She could feel him lean in, but Felicity hastily pulled the sheet up in between them to block his lips from hers.

"Hi," she mumbled through the fabric.

His brows furrowed in amusement. "Hi," he chuckled. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but there was kissing last night."  
Felicity nodded quickly but kept her mouth firmly under the sheet.

“Kissing that doesn't seem to be happening now..."  
She wiggled away from under him and rolled to the side of the bed, taking the sheet with her in the process. "There was. But you know, morning breath" she mumbled. “I need a shower. And a toothbrush. And I need to pee. Not particularly in that order though because I need to pee REALLY bad.”

Oliver laughed out, got up from her bed and rubbed his neck, unsure what to do next. He could offer to join her in the shower, you know… saving water, helping the environment and all that stuff.  
“Yeah no… not the best idea” he thought to himself.  
“Well, I’ll head upstairs and take a shower as well then. See you at breakfast?”

“I need to talk to my nurse first. I have doctor’s appointments starting next week and I need to sort some things out with him first. What about meeting at the Pool instead? You could snag me some fruits from the Breakfast Buffet so I won’t have to bother anyone to get me some food.” she grinned.

“So your nurse will bring you down to the Pool later?”

“I honestly have no idea if he’s still in Spain at all, I literally haven’t heard from him since yesterday morning. Not that I miss him…” she laughed.

“Alright, I’ll see you later then.” He kissed her forehead and left the room. Felicity sank back into bed, processing the last night she spent with Oliver. In her bed. In nothing more than her underwear. Her very lacy and obviously very see-through underwear.  
“Oh god I really need a cold shower” she muttered to herself and hopped into the bathroom.

 

Oliver met Tommy and Laurel at the Restaurant and took a seat at their table. Laurel tried to hide her face behind the biggest sunglasses Oliver had ever seen and nibbled on some fruits while Tommy poured himself and Oliver a cup of coffee.

“Sleep well, buddy? You weren’t in your room this morning when I knocked… rough night?” he grinned and handed Oliver the coffee mug.

“Could you lower your voices a bit, please? Thank you. I have the worst hangover ever and my head feels like it’s going to explode” Laurel grumbled while she sank deeper in her seat “I’ll never drink so much wine again.” Oliver just shook his head and laughed while Tommy handed her an Aspirine.

“So?”

“So what, Tommy?” Oliver put the coffee mug down and sent Tommy a questioning look over the table.

“So, where were you last night?”

Oliver sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand.  
“Well you aren’t going to drop the topic anyway, so… I spent the night at Felicity’s.”  
Before Tommy could say something, Oliver cut him off  
“BUT it’s not what you think! Nothing happened, she just freaked out over the thunderstorm and needed something to drink, so she called me and I went over there. End of story.”

“And then you forgot your way back to your room and decided to sleep in her bed instead, I see” he waggled his eyebrows and gave Oliver a look while sipping on his coffee.

“Nothing happened, Tommy. She just asked me to stay because of the thunderstorm. I actually listened to your words last night, not that I planned on breaking her heart in the first place. She’s awesome, and I asked her to stay in contact once we’re back home.”

“What did she say?” It was Laurel who spoke up and joined their conversation, nipping on her strong black coffee, making a face at the taste.

“Well she didn’t answer yet, but I’m going to discuss it with her later at the Pool.”

“Oh the Pool sounds awesome, I could really need some chill out time today and still need to work on my tan as well. Tommy?”

 

Tommy agreed to spend the last day at the Pool and gave Laurel a kiss on the cheek. They fell into easy conversation at the table, Tommy asking Oliver about the date at the Zoo that he had with Felicity the day before while Laurel kept dissecting the food on her plate instead of actually eating anything. When they agreed to meet down at the Pool later, Oliver excused himself from the table and headed to the Lobby. He still had one day with Felicity before he would have to return to Starling City the next morning and he wanted to surprise her once more.

 

Oliver already occupied a lounger when Tommy and Laurel arrived at the Pool. Laurel took the free spot next to Oliver and Tommy pulled another lounge bed next to her. They put their stuff down and Tommy nudged Olivers foot.  
“Come on buddy, let’s get inside! I bet your ass hasn’t seen any of the Pool water since we arrived here! Let’s go scare some kids!”

Oliver groaned. “Naah, not interested. Take Laurel!”

“ ‘Take Laurel’ my ass! I am not leaving this chair and if any of you dare to splash water at me, you’ll feel the wrath of a hung-over fiancée, so watch your moves!” she kept a straight face and waggled a finger in both Oliver’s and Tommy’s direction before resting her head back into the lounger.

“You’re going to marry that woman, you know that, right?” Oliver grinned at Tommy which earned him a smack on the chest from Laurel.  
“Don’t forget that we were dating once, too, Queen! Don’t make me tell the world things they don’t want to know about you!” she snapped at him and Tommy just grinned at Oliver.

 

After Tommy convinced Oliver to at least get into the Pool with him so he wouldn’t have to swim alone, Oliver’s phone started ringing. Laurel got up from her lounger to check who was calling.  
“Ollie, Felicity’s calling!” she called in their direction, but Tommy and Oliver were too distracted with stealing a beach ball from some kids at the other end of the Pool, so Laurel took the call.

“Felicity? Hey, it’s Laurel.”

Felicity hesitated for a moment. “Oh, uhm… hi. Where’s Oliver?” 

“Oh, he’s in the Pool right now with Tommy, that’s why I picked up the phone. Should I call him over?”

“No! No, I mean… could you let him know I called and ask him if he could come pick me up, please? I can’t get down to the Pool alone and – “

“I could do that, too!” Laurel quickly interrupted her. “It would take Ollie longer to get upstairs anyway now that they’re in the Pool and I haven’t been in the water at all, so… I could be at your room in a few minutes.”

 

Felicity didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t that she and Laurel talked much last night, even though Laurel seemed nice, maybe a bit hesitant at first, but definitely friendly. And she had a point. Oliver would need way longer to towel himself, put on some clothes and get upstairs to pick her up, so she agreed.   
“Sure, why not? I’m at Room 457. There should be a wheelchair waiting outside of my room, unless some kids took it for a ride again.”

“Great, I’ll be there in 5 minutes!”

Laurel hung up, put Olivers phone back on his lounger and grabbed her sundress. The boys didn’t even notice her when she made her way around the Pool and back into the Hotel area. 

 

It took Laurel only a few minutes to arrive at Felicity’s room after she hung up and Felicity was quick to open her door after Laurel knocked.  
“Okay, I have never done this before, do I have to bring over the wheelchair?” Laurel asked.

“I can handle that, it’s just that I can’t find the elevator and stuff like that.” Felicity said and took a seat in the wheelchair. “Could you just grab my handbag from the bed, please?”

Laurel went into Felicity’s room to get her bag when she saw the loads of shirts, dresses and skirts on Felicity’s bed. “Oh my god you have so many nice dresses! We totally need to go shopping some time!” she yelled and Felicity could hear a slight excitement in Laurel’s voice. It made her smile.

“We can totally do that, but I’m a bit of… restricted right now, when it comes to shopping.”

“You just need someone with great taste that could advise you on styles and colors, that’s all.” Laurel smiled and put the handbag in Felicity’s lap.

“But do we even have the same taste?” Felicity asked, a bit amused. She was happy the conversation with Laurel started so easily.

“Oh I’d say we’re completely different. On all kinds. Except for Ollie.”

Felicity turned her head to look up to Laurel who realized what she said at that moment.  
“You and Oliver….?” Felicity asked, confusion clearly visible in her expression while she kept her eyes on Laurel.

“Oh, uh… yeah, we were dating once, but it’s been years ago and we quickly realized we’re not meant for each other. But our friendship has become stronger than ever after it. I guess we needed that to realize we’re better off as friends. And o course I have Tommy now, and he’s just… he’s perfect.”

Felicity’s entire body relaxed at Laurel’s explanation and the way she talked about Tommy made it very clear that she and Oliver are a thing of the past, so she didn’t give it any more thought.

 

Felicity took the time with Laurel to find out more about Oliver and his friends and his life in Starling City. Laurel told her about their time in High School when she met Tommy and Oliver, how they spent every summer together in the Queen Mansion and how Oliver and Tommy once got arrested for peeing on a Cop car and Laurel had to beg her dad to release them and they all got grounded for 6 weeks in return. Felicity couldn’t contain a laugh and both women arrived at the Pool area with a smile on their faces, clearly enjoying themselves. When Tommy spotted them, he threw the beach ball at the back of Olivers head and pointed to the side of the Pool.

“Seems they’re getting along just fine.” Tommy said when Oliver swam up next to him. “And you know Laurel. She’s not the easiest person when it comes to meeting new people, especially women.”

“I really like her, Tommy. I just don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.” Oliver said, never keeping his eyes off Felicity, who gestured around with her hands wildly while speaking, laughing and smiling while Laurel rolled her to their sun beds.

“What about Isabel?”

“Isabel and I are long over, you know that. She made her decision and I know it took me a while to accept it, but I made mine now, too. And honestly? I don’t care if she changed her mind and wants me back now. It took me long enough to get over her and once I did that, I realized how bad we were for each other…”

“Yeah but there’s still –“

Oliver cut him off. “I know, Tommy, I know. And I try not to think about it too much.” 

“Well you can’t ignore it forever, buddy.”

“For now I’d like to focus on Felicity. I really want to make it work, I just don’t know if she would want that, too…”

“Then ask her. Easy as that.” Tommy said, splashing water in Oliver’s face.

 

Laurel prepared the lounge bed next to Oliver for Felicity and put her bag down. When the boys returned to their side of the Pool, both women were casually talking. Tommy got out of the Pool and threw himself on Laurel who squeaked in surprise.  
“Tommy! What the hell! Get off me!” she protested and tried to smack him with her magazine but Tommy just shook his head and covered her in a shower of water drops. Oliver got out of the Pool, took a seat on his lounger and slowly let drops of water fall onto Felicity’s stomach and legs. While he lowered his head to her neck area and kissed her cheek gently.

“Hi,” he whispered and Felicity had to giggle at the tickle of his beard on her neck and the water drops on her body. “I missed you. And I got a surprise for you!”

“Oooooh, I love surprises, what is it?” Felicity grinned in his direction.

“You’ll see… later.” He kissed her cheek and relaxed back into his lounge bed. Felicity looked to the sky, letting the sun warm her skin when her hand ghosted over to his side and started searching for his fingers. Oliver gently put his hand in hers and interlaced fingers with her.  
“So…. Laurel and you, huh?” Felicity teased, never taking her face away from the sun.

Oliver stopped all his movements and gave her a confused look.  
“Laurel told me. I guess it just slipped out, she didn’t actually wanted to tell. But I don’t mind, Oliver. I hear the way she talks about Tommy and the way they interact with each other. And it’s clear that there are no romantic feelings left between you and her, so why should I bother?”

Oliver relaxed and looked over to Laurel, who was still busy fighting off her fiancée and his tickle-attacks. He was happy that Felicity didn’t bother about his past with Laurel, a thing that worried him since Felicity and Laurel met for the first time.

“And it’s not that we’re a couple anyway, so who am I to judge?” Felicity quickly added and Oliver’s heart dropped.

“Felicity… I know after today things will be different, but… would you let me visit you when you’re back home? I meant what I said yesterday at the Zoo… I don’t want this to be a bubble that will explode as soon as I leave. I want to get to know you, Felicity… I want to spend time with you, not only a weekend in Europe. I want to take you to dinner, to a Restaurant where I can actually read the menu.” Felicity couldn’t contain a small laugh at that. It was hard enough for her to understand the people down at the Reception, so she could only imagine how difficult reading spanish menus would be.

Oliver could see her stiffening her body, struggling to find an answer. “Seriously, Felicity… please give it a try. Let ME give it a try. Let me at least visit you in LA.” He gently squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb in her palm.

Without giving it too much a thought, she agreed. “Maybe this could really work” she thought to herself.  
“Yeah, why not? I mean… I still owe you a Zoo visit and a Dinner date, so…”

Oliver grinned like a little child and leaned over to kiss Felicity’s forehead.  
“I can’t wait to show you what I have planned for today” he said.

 

They spent the day at the Pool, talking about Laurel’s wedding dress and their (way too big for Tommy’s liking) guest list. The wedding cake filling seemingly caused a heated discussion between bride and groom and Oliver and Felicity both laughed at them when yet another fight started about it. Tommy and Laurel both learned about Felicity’s accident and Oliver never let go of her hand while she spoke about it. When the sun started to set and people left the Pool area to get dressed for Dinner, the group got ready for leaving as well.

“Any plans for tonight already? Maybe we could – “ Laurel asked and Oliver quickly cut her off.

“Actually, I have something planned for Felicity and me, so we can’t join you. But I’m sure you’re going to be fine, Laurel. Just keep your hands off the wine.” he grinned and Tommy had to giggle while Laurel gave him a look above her sunglasses.

“Well then, have fun guys. It was really nice meeting you, Felicity. Please tell Ollie to let us know when you’ll be in the City. We should have Dinner then!” Laurel said while getting up, giving Felicity a hug.

Tommy also went over to hug her and tell his goodbyes. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Felicity. You should really consider visiting Ollie any time soon in Starling. I need to see that pretty face of yours again soon.” he said, giving her a peck on the cheek and a wholehearted hug.

“Tomorrow morning in the Lobby, 11am, don’t be late or we’ll leave without you!” Tommy said, pointing a finger in Olivers direction before they made their way back inside the Hotel.

 

When Oliver and Felicity started to get ready to leave as well, Felicity’s nurse came over. Oliver just raised his eyebrows but remained silent.  
“Miss Smoak, there you are! I just talked to the Marbella Clinic, your first appointment for a general check-up is tomorrow morning at 10.30am and the others are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday so you have enough time to recover until we’ll fly back home. I just need to discuss times with them for these two appointments. Would you like to go down to the Restaurant tonight or will you eat in your room?”

“Actually, I already have plans for tonight. You can take the night off – or however you call it. I’ll call if something comes up.” she said, keeping her tone as casual as possible, even though her nurse annoyed her as hell. 

“Well then… have a nice evening.” he said and left the Pool area again.

“What a charmer,” Oliver said “you would be SO lost without him!”

Felicity giggled “Yeah, whatever. I mean, it’s not that I’m scrambling to spend all my time together with him, so I won’t complain. Plus, I don’t have to pay him for the job, so…” she shrugged.

 

They gathered their stuff, Felicity took a seat in the wheelchair and Oliver rolled her back to her room.  
“I’ll see you in 2 hours, don’t put on anything too fancy, I’ll go casual as well.” He whispered into her hair from behind the wheelchair. “I’ll call you before I head downstairs to pick you up. Call it a 10 minute warning,” he joked before her turned around the wheelchair, got on his knees in front of her and gently kissed her on the lips. Felicity froze on the spot, not expecting him to do that, but quickly kissed him back. It was a quick kiss, chaste, not too intimate, but it made Felicity’s toes curl nonetheless. When Oliver pulled back and got up again, she didn’t move for another few seconds.

 

“God, I wanted to do that all day,” Oliver admitted and Felicity smiled at him.  
“Then do it again.” she said, before getting up, grabbing his shirt and pulling him to her. When their noses touched, she put her arms around his neck and let him pull her up into his arms. Felicity’s feet were dangling above the ground but Oliver held her to his chest tightly and she realized how big he actually was compared to her.

Oliver started kissing her again, kissing her with more intensity than the first time, while Felicity wrapped her legs around him and pulled him as close as she could. Olivers hand dropped to her thigh, his fingers slowly sliding under the hem of her skirt. Felicity teased his lips with her tongue and Oliver eagerly replied. When he pulled back for a breath, Felicity started kissing his neck and jaw and Oliver had to groan. They were making out, on her Hotel Floor, in front of her open door.

“You really need to stop doing that, Felicity. Not that I mind making out in public.” he said, and Felicity grinded her hips over the very prominent bulge that formed in Oliver’s pants. “Come inside with me, Oliver.” she whispered while gently biting his earlobe. Oliver hissed and groaned into her neck.

“We can’t, Felicity. And I don’t want you to miss the surprise I have for you.” He grabbed her ankle, unlocked her legs from behind him and gently set her down on her feet. With one last kiss on her lips he started moving away. “I’ll pick you up in 2 hours.”

 

Oliver needed to get away from her fast, before he would throw all his plans for the evening over board and just take her in her Hotel room. No, that’s not what he had planned for tonight, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he wanted her – badly. “I definitely need a cold shower” he muttered to himself on his way to his Room.

Felicity just stood in front of her Room, unable to move a muscle. Her mind was spinning like crazy, though. She wanted him so badly and obviously Oliver felt the same about her, but he pulled back yet again. Gaining strength in her feet again, she made her way inside the Hotel room. She was determined to find out why Oliver pulled back every time she tried to make a move. But she needed to get ready, too.

 

When Felicity’s phone rang, she just got out of the bathroom, putting on some earrings and a bracelet. Oliver let her know he’d be at her door in 10 minutes and she was quick to finish straightening her hair.

When she heard a knock, she hopped to the door and opened.  
“You look beautiful, Felicity.” Oliver greeted her, kissing her cheek.

Felicity gave him an honest smile, one that Oliver often received from her in the last 3 days. “Well I would love to say the same about you but you know… I have no idea.” she laughed. “But considering the way you smell I’m sure you must look stunning.” she said before inhaling his scent again.

Oliver lifted her up into his arms and Felicity let out a surprised squeal. “Ah there it is again, the carrying around. Can say I genuinely missed it” Felicity laughed. “Will you carry me around all the time tonight? I really hope you do” she teased and Oliver had to giggle.  
“In fact, I will, Miss Smoak.” But we won’t be walking around much anyway, so…”

 

They made their way downstairs and through the Restaurant area. Oliver spotted Tommy and Laurel having Dinner and Tommy waved him, giving him a thumbs-up that made Oliver laugh.  
“What’s wrong?” Felicity asked.  
“Hm?”  
“You were giggling. Did I think out loud again?”  
“No, no… I just spotted Tommy and Laurel are sitting over there he waved us.”

 

When Oliver kept walking and the noise of the Restaurant became much quieter, Felicity got suspicious.  
“So we’re not eating at the Restaurant?”

“Nope,” Oliver grinned. “We’ll eat at some place a little more… romantic.”

When Oliver sat her down, Felicity could hear the waves crashing a lot louder than just from the Restaurant area. As soon as her feet touched a soft blanket and she could feel the sand moving under her feet, she looked around.  
“Oliver, are we at the beach? But didn’t you say we’ll have Dinner? I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast!” she pouted and Oliver couldn’t stop grinning at her ramble.

“Relax, beautiful. We’ll have Dinner at the beach. I figured we should have some time alone and the Restaurant was too crowded for my liking. So I arranged some kind of private beach Picnic just for the two of us. We have fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat, bread, red wine…”

Felicity just sat there, staring in his direction, unable to form a complete sentence. This man did more for her in these 3 days that they spent together than Cooper did for her in the entire relationship and it all felt a bit surreal to her. For the first time since the accident she hated her temporary blindness so much. She wanted to look into his face so badly, wanted to stare into his eyes and just get lost in them. God, she didn’t even know what eye color he has… or what hair color!

“Blue. And blonde.” he said, and Felicity could basically hear him grin.

“I said that out loud, didn’t I? Oh god, I sometimes hate my mouth….” she blushed, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

“Oh I don’t know… I kind of like your mouth,” Oliver smiles.

“Yeah well, apparently you didn’t like it enough to follow it into the Hotel room earlier” she bluntly replied and takes Oliver by surprise.

“It’s not that I don’t want Felicity… you should have realized that. It’s just…” he struggled to find the right words while shifting on the blanket, “I want to make it right with you, and sleeping with you is something that definitely would feel right I’m sure. I just don’t want to rush anything, or give you the feeling that this is just some vacation hookup, because for me it isn’t, Felicity.”

He took her hand in his and gently stroked her palm when Felicity’s stomach made a loud gurgling sound. “Oh god, there it is again, the horrible sound of my belly that makes it sound like I’m trying to starve my stomach to death” she blushed. “I really hope we’ll eat something soon. I don’t want you having to hear that sound again.” Felicity laughed and put her hands on her stomach.

 

Oliver pulled some plates out of a large picnic basket and poured them both a glass of wine. Together they started eating in silence mostly, listening to the waves crashing in the background and the silent noise of the Hotel guests in the Restaurant above. It was Felicity who started speaking again.

There’s still so much I don’t know about you and yet I feel like I can trust you, it’s crazy. I haven’t met many people that felt trustworthy, especially since my accident. Apparently the blindness doesn’t only take away your eyesight, it also takes away all trust you seemed to have in people. At least in my case. I mean, I don’t trust easily at all. But since everything went black around me, it feels so hard to behave normal in public. Every touch makes me jump, my ears are working twice as much as they should be because I try to hear as much as possible to compensate the blindness, people too close to me freak me out, … but I’m having none of that when I’m with you. And it feels really nice, relaxing.” Felicity said and Oliver just sat there, listening to her.  
“But there’s still so much I would like to know about you. Mostly things I would know already if I could see you,” she admitted “but also personal stuff, just things about your life like your job and your family.”

“Would you want me to tell you now?” Oliver answered.

“Sure! If you don’t mind?”

“Well you already know I’m Quarterback at the Starling Archers. We’re not able to play at the moment, though, which is why I was able to go on vacation with Tommy and my family in the first place. Our Sponsor backed off the contract that we had with him and now we’re running out of money to run the team. And as long as they can’t find a new Sponsor, we can’t go out in the field, which is pretty frustrating, to be honest. I have offers from other Teams, but I don’t want to leave the Archers. At least not yet, even though my family tries to convince me otherwise.”

“Well I think you should do what you want to, not what your family thinks. If I would have done what my mother wanted me to, I would be running a Cocktail Bar in Vegas by now, being married to a Stripper or something.” she joked before she took a sip of her wine.

“I want you to promise me something, Felicity.” Oliver blurted out, surprising himself as much as he surprised Felicity in that moment, but he couldn’t stop his mouth.  
“Hm?” she just said while still sipping on her wine.

“Promise me I can visit you as soon as you’re back in LA. I don’t want to leave tomorrow and have nothing to hold onto. Please?”

Felicity sat her wine glass down and gave him a smile.  
“Like I told you at the Pool earlier, I still owe you a Zoo visit and a Dinner Date. Well and a Picnic now, too, as it seems. So yes, I would very much like for you to visit me when I’m back home.”

Oliver let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding for several long seconds now and Felicity still kept her smile plastered on her face. When a cold breeze came from the ocean, she shivered and Oliver went to her side and threw a blanket over them. She relaxed her head on his shoulder and listened to the waves crashing and the almost silence of the night. Oliver put his arm around her and pulled her closer to his side.

“This feels so different. I’ve never felt like this before, especially not after a few days,” she admitted and Oliver gently kissed her hair.

“It feels the same for me” he admitted. “But I like it. It feels good – right.”

Together they sat at the beach for a little while longer, talked about Tommy and Laurel’s wedding date, and Oliver told her about how Laurel first dated him and then Tommy after they broke up. 

“God, it will be so boring here without you. There’s not even enough music on my iPod to fill a whole boring day at the Pool” she sighed when she heard Oliver fishing around in her handbag.  
“What are you doing?”

“Oh, nothing, I just checked for the time” he lied, when Felicity relaxed her head back onto his shoulder. Oliver took her phone, unlocked it and opened the Camera to take a quick selfie of her and him. She didn’t notice and he silently threw the phone back into her bag.

When Felicity started to shiver again, Oliver decided to call it a day and head upstairs.

 

Once they arrived at her door and Oliver sat her down, Felicity threw her arms around him and hugged him. “I want to ask you to stay the night with me, but I’m afraid to hear another ‘No’ from you… but would you stay with me tonight? You could even leave your clothes on, I just don’t want to spend the last night that we have here alone. There will be enough lonely nights coming after this one.”  
She whispered into his chest and to her surprise, Oliver immediately agreed.

They left the wheelchair on the floor and headed into her room. It was still a mess and Oliver wondered if Felicity had any clothes in her closet at home or if she’d throw them around like this all the time. Felicity quickly got rid of her dress and hopped into the bathroom while Oliver took off his shirt and shorts and got into bed. When Felicity got out of the bathroom, Oliver lifted the sheet and let her snuggle in next to him before he draped the blanket over them. When she snuggled into his side she could feel his broad chest and his very firm and very naked abs and froze in the spot.

“You lost some clothes” she smiled and inhaled his scent when she buried her face in his neck.

“I hate sleeping with Shorts, so I thought I made myself comfortable. And I mean,” he grinned, while gently stroking her leg up over her hipbone to her ribs, “it’s not that you’re overdressed right now either.”

“Mister Queen,” she teased, “stop that or I’ll climb you like a coconut tree!” Felicity warned him, stopping the hand on her hips with her own.

“Is that a challenge, Miss Smoak?”

“A promise.” she teased him, gently scratching her fingernails over his chest and abs, down to the waistband of his boxer briefs. Oliver inhaled sharply at the contact and was about to stop her hand when she took it away, gave him a kiss on the chest and turned her back to him.

“Goodnight, Oliver.” she teased him before snuggling her back into his side. She had to try very hard not to burst out laughing, especially after hearing Oliver groan from frustration.

”Two could play that game” she thought to herself and drifted off to sleep.

 

It took Oliver a while to calm down before he turned on his side and pulled her body flush to his, draped his arm over her waist and fell asleep with his nose buried in her hair.


	6. an unsatisfying Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much love to all the lovely Comments, they really mean a lot to me. I started writing this Story because it got stuck in my head. Never would I have guessed that people actually liked it! :-)  
> And please bear with me if I'm being a Grammar idiot at some points in my Story. English isn't my first language :-)
> 
>  
> 
> Also,
> 
> The nurse finally has a name! :-D

Oliver awoke to soft lips traveling over his chest and stomach and for a few seconds he wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming or already awake. When he opened his eyes to see a mass of blonde curls spread over his chest, traveling down his body, he realized where he was and that he in fact was awake.  
“What. Are. You. Doing?” he hissed, when Felicity kissed his nipple and softly grazed it with her teeth.  
“Waking you up, obviously.” She mumbled into his chest while peppering it with kisses.

Oliver tried to stop her movements but failed miserably. “We shouldn’t do that – “

Without any expression, Felicity looked up and into his face. “Oliver, I’m a grown woman and I very well know what I should and shouldn’t do. And apparently your body agrees with me, so if you would shut up and let me get back to work now, I’d appreciate that.” she grinned while lowering her lips to his body again and Oliver just cocked an eyebrow at her.  
“I know you’re making a face at me.” she mumbled into his belly while letting her fingers travel down to the waistband of his boxer briefs, and before she could make any more move, Oliver pulled her up, rolled her on her back and towered over her, grinding his hips into her thigh hard.

Felicity couldn’t contain an evil grin and a chuckle. “I’m surprised. It’s not that hard to break you… I like that.” she whispered and Oliver immediately started kissing her.

He kissed her, long and hard and wet, and she thought she might combust when his lips went to her neck again. She panted heavily when Oliver gently bit on her pulse point and couldn’t contain a moan when he let his hands travel over her thigh. And then his phone started ringing.  
Oliver didn't hear it at first through his lustful haze, until he felt Felicity’s growl against his neck. He pulled away to look at her, and there was an indescribable intensity covering her face. All doubts that he had about doing the right thing with her – they flew overboard when he saw her face, in that moment.

Almost shakily, he reached onto the nightstand, took his phone and answered the call through gritted teeth.  
“Don’t be late, buddy!” a male voice bleared through the speaker before Oliver even had the chance to put the phone to his ear.  
Oliver just growled into the phone, mumbled something that, to Felicity, sounded a lot like “Fuck you, Tommy” and threw the phone back onto the nightstand.

 

At another growl, followed by a sigh from Oliver, Felicity started to laugh and wrapped her arms around his broad back to hug him as hard as she could.

“Guess we have to re-schedule,” she chuckled. “Do you think the airport security will let you pass with this?” she giggled, grinding her hips into his still very prominent erection.

"Fuck, you're going to have to stop doing that." He warned her, moving his hand gently down her waist, stilling her movements immediately.

“What if I don’t want to stop?” she challenged him. “What time is it?”

Oliver checked his phone again. “8.15am…”

“Well that means we still have over an hour left until I need to get ready for my doctor’s appointment. And I know a lot of things two could do in one hour… in a comfy Hotel bed… with almost no clothes on…” she whispered while kissing his jaw and neck, down to his shoulder. Oliver took a deep breath to calm himself, his arousal becoming more and more evident to Felicity. When she wrapped her right leg around his waist and pulled him closer to her, she could feel him, hard, against her. It was all it took to finally make Oliver snap.

 

He started kissing her more forcefully while letting his hand explore her body. When he gently stroked her breast, without removing the bra, Felicity let out a soft moan and arched her back into his palm. Oliver gently kissed her down her neck, to her earlobe, before nipping on her Industrial Piercing. “We shouldn’t be doing this” he whispered into her ear and Felicity just moaned softly. When he found her pulse point and gently bit on it, she inhaled deeply and rolled her hips into his.  
Oliver grabbed the strap of her bra with his teeth and pulled it over her shoulder while Felicity enjoyed the feeling of Oliver’s strong body all over her. He followed the path of the strap down her arm and gently kissed his way over her body until he reached her right breast. When he gave the fabric a light pull and freed her nipple of the garment, he gently started kissing and sucking on it. Felicity threw her hand around his neck and tried to pull Oliver deeper into her chest while stroking the hair of his neck softly. He released her nipple and made his way over to the other one when suddenly there was a pounding on her door.

“Miss Smoak? Are you awake?”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” he growled into her chest when the pounding at her door proceeded.

“Miss Smoak, we still need to discuss your doctor’s appointment later. Would you want me to bring you breakfast to your room? I’m sure you’re allowed to eat as it’s just a general check-up…” the voice said and Oliver rubbed his face in frustration while he rolled over and got off from Felicity.

Felicity exhaled loudly and pulled the strap of her bra back in place when it knocked at her door a third time. “Miss Smoak, are you all right?”

“YES, Nick… I am awake and you can stop pounding my door to death now. And NO, Nick, I do not want to have breakfast in my room. I’ll meet you at the Lobby at 10, you don’t have to pick me up from my room. Thank you!” she growled at her door, her tone a mix of frustration and anger

 

When there wasn’t an answer and the pounding stopped as well, she sighed and threw her pillow through the room in frustration. Oliver just stared at her and immediately started to giggle when he saw her pouting face hidden behind blonde strains that fell all over her face.  
“I can’t believe the timing of that man!” she practically yelled into the room, wildly gesturing around with her arms. “Never there when you’d actually need him, but that ONE time I could very well do without him, he has to come up and interrupt us! It would be funny if it wasn’t so ridiculous….” she pouted while kicking the blanket off her feet and out of the bed.

 

“Maybe it was a sign?” Oliver said. “Maybe we should wait…”

She looked him straight in the face. “Please spare me that speech right now, Oliver. Does any of that feel like waiting?” she asked, letting her hand roam over his stomach before grabbing his erection over the boxer briefs, raising an eyebrow at him.

Oliver groaned, but stopped her movements and gently took her hand away before getting out of the bed to put his clothes back on. Felicity threw her head back into the pillow with a loud sigh and mumbled “God damn, why didn’t I bring my vibrator with me?”

Oliver’s eyes shot up, unsure if he heard her right

“Maybe I should just finish it myself” she proceeded and Oliver was quick to climb the bed, straddle her hips, grab her wrists and lock them over her head before he lowered his lips to her face.

“Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do.” he smirked when he kissed her forehead gently.

“Yeah well that’s the thing, Oliver… you’re not doing anything!” she pouted.

He let out a small laugh and kissed her. “As much as I want to stay, but I really need to leave now. I still haven’t packed and we’ll head for the airport in less than 2 hours. I’ll call you as soon as we landed.” He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling her shampoo, while Felicity gently stroked his back with her hand.

 

“I don’t want you to leave” she whispered and Oliver could hear the trembling in her voice while she held him tight. He didn’t want to leave her either, but re-scheduling the flight wasn’t an option. And she had appointments to attend to anyway, that’s why she came here in the first place. Reluctantly, he pulled away and got up off the bed.

“I’ll call you as soon as I can, promised. And then you’ll tell me how your doctor’s appointment went!” he gently took her hand, gave it a last kiss and left the room.

 

Felicity couldn’t move for 5 long minutes before she got off the bed and hopped into the bathroom. Her mind was spinning like crazy, and everything smelled of Oliver. She didn’t want to shower and wash the last remnants of him away, but she had to get ready.  
It was almost 10am when she, dressed in Jeans Hot Pants and a tank top, grabbed her handbag and hopped to the door. When she stepped outside and started fishing around with her hand to locate the wheelchair, she heard an all too familiar voice. 

“Need a ride downstairs, angel wings?”

“Oliver!” she squeaked, jumping into his arms, her handbag long forgotten on the ground. “I thought you left already!”

“I was going to head downstairs just now, but couldn’t go to at least say goodbye again. And I figured you could need a ride down to the Lobby after you scared off your nurse this morning.” he chuckled. “So… your carriage awaits, Milady.”

 

When they arrived at the Lobby, Tommy and Laurel were already waiting for Oliver but Felicity’s nurse was nowhere to be seen yet. When Laurel saw Oliver and Felicity leaving the elevator, she quickly made her way over to them

“Felicity, so nice to see you again before we leave!” Laurel smiled while Tommy strode over to them.

“Ollie. Felicity.” Tommy just mumbled, a mischievous grin plastered on his face while cocking an eyebrow at Oliver.

“Guys I really don’t want to be the party pooper right now, but there’s a plane waiting for us” Tommy said and Oliver immediately pulled Felicity out of the wheelchair to hug her tightly.

 

“Remember what I told you this morning. We’ll talk later.” he said before he lowered his lips onto hers one last time. On instinct, Felicity wrapped her legs around his waist and threw her arms around his neck. Neither of them cared that they were in a very public Hotel Lobby with a very surprised Laurel and Tommy staring at them.

Tommy tried to sound as apologetic as possible. “Ollie, we really need to leave – now!”

“Right,” Oliver said, reluctantly ending the kiss and putting his forehead against hers.

 

“We’ll see again, soon.” he whispered before he unlocked her legs from behind her and put her back on the ground.  
Felicity’s legs were wobbly and she had to fight back tears that started pricking in the corner of her eyes once again when she felt Oliver step away from her. Tommy and Laurel both said their goodbyes to Felicity again before they left the Lobby and all she could do was wait for her nurse to show up.

 

______________________

 

“I didn’t expect that.” Tommy said once they got seated in the Limo and made their way to the airport.

“You didn’t expect what?” Oliver answered, confused.

“You fell for her hard, man. I haven’t seen you like this since… I can’t even remember!” Tommy shook his head in amazement and Oliver exhaled loudly, throwing his head back into the headrest.

“I hate to leave her here like that. Which is crazy because we barely even know each other but it still feels… being with her feels amazing, Tommy.” Oliver said while both Tommy and Laurel listened carefully.

“Did you talk to her? About seeing each other again, I mean? Los Angeles isn’t that far Ollie, you could definitely work something out… if not as a couple then as friends at least. I liked her.” Laurel chimed in and Tommy just nodded in agreement.

“She agreed to let me visit her once she’s back home, but we’ll talk later once we’re back in Starling City. That’s all I can hold onto for now” he sighed.

 

They spent the rest of the drive to the airport in silence mostly and Oliver’s mind constantly drifted off to Felicity and everything they experienced the last 3 days. Never would he have guessed to fall for her so hard and so quick when he first spotted her being carried to the Pool a few days ago. Now, after he got to know her a bit and spent almost 3 whole days with her, it felt like he knew her for months already, even if he barely knew her at all.

It amazed him from the first moment how normal she behaved when it came to him, especially after hearing the story about her ex-fiancée and the pretty bad break-up that she had gone through recently. That, paired with the partial blindness, would be a major reason for most people not to trust anyone so naturally so soon, especially not another man showing interest in her. Yet Felicity didn’t show any form of fear or reluctance, maybe a slight hesitance at first. But who wouldn’t? Especially after the way he approached her the first time.  
‘Need help with that?’ – “What a cliché” Oliver thought to himself and had to chuckle at that while shaking his head slightly.

 

Once they boarded their Jet, Laurel draped a blanket over her legs and put a sleep mask on while Tommy killed the time with checking Stock Updates and general Company Mail. Oliver just stared out of the window, seeing the beach of Marbella become smaller and smaller the higher they went. Once they passed the clouds, Oliver closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. The last night at the beach with Felicity and their night in her Hotel bed left him quite exhausted, even though he slept surprisingly well in with her in his arms.

 

______________________________

 

When they arrived at the Marbella Clinic, Felicity couldn’t focus on the appointment or her injuries. She missed Oliver, even if he just left. But knowing she’d have to spend the rest of the week without him, bored, like she spent the first few days, saddened her. She still couldn’t wrap her head around everything that happened with him that weekend, everything that happened with her when she thought about him, but it felt good to her. She didn’t plan to fall for someone during an ‘appointment-vacation’, definitely not in her current state and most definitely not that fast after her break up with Cooper, but there she was, head over heels for someone she met 3 days ago; someone she couldn’t see but who smelled, felt and sounded amazing to her; someone who seemed to have great friends but a not so great Playboy past; someone could easily sweep her off her feet, both literally and figuratively speaking and for the first time since her accident happened and everything went black around her, she couldn’t wait to finally see her surroundings again and see this man in the flesh. While Felicity occupied her mind with thoughts of the past 3 days, her nurse Nick walked up with a Doctor.

 

“Felicity? This is Dr. Gabriella De Almeida, she’ll do your check-up.” Nick said, when a female voice greeted her with a lovely Spanish accent.

“Felicity Smoak? Very nice to meet you, please call me Dr. Gabriella, I know many people have problems spelling my last name, so please don’t bother yourself over it.” She smiled and Felicity felt herself relax into the wheelchair at the calming and friendly tone of her Doctor.

“I’m going to explain you now what we’ll do during the Check-Up and how we will proceed after it. If you have any questions during the process, feel free to ask them at any time. I will try to answer every question as good as I can.” Dr. Gabriella assured her.

 

The Check-Up took just a few minutes and after Dr. Gabriella scanned Felicity’s eyes and took a look at the Hospital papers that Nick handed her, they all took a seat at her desk.

“Okay Felicity, I reviewed your clinical record and also took a look at the scans that we just did. Your accident happened a little over 3 weeks ago and according to the results that our scan shows, the nerves behind your eyes are starting to rebuild themselves already. Now, we have 2 options to proceed. We could either try to stimulate the optic nerve which would speed up recovery time, but could also cause permanent damage to your eyesight, -“

Felicity lifted her hand and Dr. Gabriella immediately stopped talking. “I have a question!” she blurted out.  
“So you’re saying you could improve my recovery by stimulating my optic nerve but that could make me blind in the process? How does that make even sense?”

“Not really, Miss Smoak. What I’m saying is that we can’t guarantee the optic nerve would take some damage while we stimulate it. There’s always a very small percentage that things like that could happen and I need to make sure you’re aware of all the risks.” Dr. Gabriella tried to explain in a calm tone.

“What’s the other option?”

“The other option would be to leave the healing process as it is right now. It seems your body recovers on its own just fine. With the speed that your nerves have rebuild and strengthened themselves in the last weeks, I’m pretty sure you’ll get 100% of your eyesight back, like your Doctor’s already told you. It would just take longer than the other option; stimulating the nerve would speed up the process a lot.”

“ – but not without a risk” Felicity interrupted her once again.

“Like I said, - “ Dr. Gabriella started once again.

“When do I have to make a decision?” she asked brusquely and cut her off yet again. Felicity didn’t expect a lot from these appointments, but flying all the way to Europe to being told they could try and heal her by risking of permanently blinding her was ridiculous to her.

“As soon as possible. If you decide to start with the laser treatments to your optic nerve, we need to plan ahead. Do you still need some time to think about it?”

“I need to make a call, could you give me a few minutes, please?” Felicity shortly replied.

“Of course. I’ll wait outside.” Dr. Gabriella said and got up from her chair and out of the room with Nick following right behind her. As soon as she heard the door click shut, Felicity pulled out her phone and called her the first person that came to her mind.

 

“Hey honey, how are you doing? I miss you! Everything alright?” Donna asked and Felicity was happy to finally hear a familiar voice again.

“Hey Mom, I’m sitting at the Marbella Clinic right now,” Felicity told her. “They just checked out my eyes and told me what they could do for me.”

“And? What did they say? Can they help you?” Donna blurted out, sounding more excited about everything than Felicity could be.

“Yes and no. They basically told me they could stimulate my nerve with a laser to make it heal faster -”

“Oh honey, that’s awesome! When will you start? How many treatments do you need? Did they tell you when you can see again?” Donna interrupted her with a load of excitement and questions.

“That’s not everything, mom. They also told me that the laser could permanently blind me in the process – which is why I decided to call you to let you know I’ll be heading back early because I won’t be doing it. Could you ask Caitlin to re-schedule my flight, please? I know you’re not that tech savvy and Caitlin has all my flight details and I don’t want to bother Nick with that, he isn’t of any help at all anyways, so…”

“Felicity, are you sure? I mean, they always tell that accidents could happen during surgeries, I’m sure they are forced to say that so you can’t sue them if something actually happens but I’m sure that – “

“Mom, I made my decision and honestly, I just want to get out of here. As amazing as this country could be, I came here for help and clearly this Clinic can’t offer any besides handing me a _‘Get well soon.’_ – balloon. Which is why I would like to have a flight back to LA as soon as possible.” Felicity replied with a stern voice that didn’t leave any room for argumentation.

Donna sighed. “Fine, if this is what you want, I’ll call Caitlin and let her know to call you. Can’t wait to have you back home soon. Love you, bye!” Donna said before hanging up.

 

Seconds after Felicity ended the call with her mom, Dr. Gabriella and Nick entered the office again. After everyone took a seat, Felicity spoke up.  
“Dr. Gabriella, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to check my eyes and getting into my clinical record. However I must refuse your offer. I will not risk getting permanently blinded just for a quickened cure of my nerve. I already talked to my mother and will be flying back to Los Angeles as soon as my flight could be re-scheduled, so I won’t be needing any other appointments. But I’d like to thank you anyway for taking your time and considering me as a patient.” Felicity politely explained and sent Dr. Gabriella a slight smile before grabbing her handbag, placing it in her lap, ready to loosen the brakes on her wheelchair and turn for the door.  
“Alright, Miss Smoak, I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery nonetheless.” Dr. Gabriella friendly replied before Nick got up and rolled Felicity out of the office.

 

“You sure that’s a good idea?” Nick asked her while he rolled Felicity out of the building to their waiting car.

“Oh I don’t know, Nick. Would you like to have your eyesight ripped away from you permanently?” Felicity snapped at him. The whole situation annoyed her. Nick annoyed her. And even if she didn’t expect wonders when she came here, she at least expected bigger chances than what she had been told just a few minutes ago. Right now she just wanted to get back to her Hotel room, she wanted to talk to Oliver, and she wanted to fly back home, to surroundings that she knew and voices that she loved.  
Nick just shook his head but didn’t say anything else. Felicity got into the car silently, rummaging through her handbag, trying to locate her phone. When she found it, she immediately tried to call Oliver, but her calls went straight to his mailbox. “He must be on the plane still” she thought to herself while Nick drove her back to the Hotel in silence.

 

When suddenly her phone started ringing, Felicity got startled for a moment before answering the call.

 

“Fee! Your mother just called me! You won’t let the doctors help you?” a very stressed female voice spoke up.

“Hey Caitlin, nice to hear your voice and no, that’s not what happened and that’s not what I told my Mom.” Felicity answered, her voice full of annoyance over her mother’s comment to her friend. “They just told me it’s either do nothing and leave it as it is, or try lasering my nerve to make it heal faster with the risk of blinding me in the process. So I chose option No.1. Which is why I need you to re-book my flight to an earlier one, as soon as possible, please. I just want to come home.”  
Felicity sighed and Caitlin could clearly hear the stress and exhaustion showing in her voice.

“Is everything okay, Fee? You sound terrible and I doubt it’s just the news that you’ve just been told. I know for a fact that you didn’t expect much of it anyway, so… anything wrong?”

Felicity sighed loudly. There was so much she had going on in her head right now, but did she want to tell Caitlin about it while sitting in a car with her nurse. Yeah, nope.  
“Everything’s fine, Cait, I’m just exhausted. Guess I don’t sleep too well in that Hotel bed. Could you check on that flight and let me know as soon as possible, please?”

“I’m on it already. I’ll give you a call to let you know. Can’t wait to pick you up from the airport. There’s so much I have to tell you!” Caitlin giggled and Felicity actually enjoyed hearing her best friend so happy. “We’ll have a lot to talk about over a big box of mint chip ice cream as soon as you’re back! Take care, call you later!”  
And with that, Caitlin ended the call.

 

Felicity tried calling Oliver a second time, but the call went straight to the Mailbox once again. She debated about leaving him a message there so he would hear it as soon as he landed, but decided against it. Talking directly sounded way more appealing.

 

When they arrived back at the Hotel, Nick rolled her straight to the Restaurant and placed her at a table, taking a seat next to her. Just when Felicity wanted to start protesting she’d rather spend the day on her Hotel Room, Nick cut her off.  
“I know you might not like me much and honestly, I don’t care if you do, but I’ll at least make sure you’re eating properly. And I know for a fact you haven’t had breakfast today and it’s almost noon, so we’ll have lunch now. Besides, I’m hungry as well.” Nick announced and ordered them both a glass of water and two sandwiches when the waiter arrived.

 

They ate in complete silence, Felicity wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone at all and she could hear Nick fidgeting with his phone, so she didn’t have to wonder if he was bored too much. Not that she cared anyway.

When he brought her to her Hotel room, she fell onto the bed and passed out almost immediately. The day had been exhausting even though she didn’t do much at all.

 

____________________________

 

 

Oliver was still sound asleep when Tommy started throwing cherries at him to wake him up. When a cherry hit him on the lip, Oliver awoke with a start.

“What the – “ he muttered, when he saw Tommy in the seat opposite to him, laughing like a little boy, with a big bowl of cherries in his lap. That’s when he spotted all the cherries that covered his body. Just before Oliver could throw a fit, Tommy raised a finger and interrupted him with a grin.  
“We’ll be arriving in 30 minutes.”

Oliver got out of his seat, grabbed his phone and headed straight to the restroom.

“Where are you going, buddy?”

“Washing all the cherry stains off my face, you idiot!” he yelled at him, while walking through the plane.

 

When he arrived at the restroom, he put the phone down and exhaled loudly. For the first time he got a good look in the mirror since they left Marbella this morning. His face was still sleep ridden and covered in red stains, but what really caught his eye was what appeared to be a small hickey in the crook of his neck. He took a closer look and – yep, definitely a hickey.

“That woman!” he mumbled to himself, while shaking his head with a grin. At the thought of Felicity, he picked up the phone and tried to call her. He missed her voice already, even if it was just a few hours since her left her. When he tried to make a call, he couldn’t get access to a phone network.

“Well, it’s just another 30 minutes until I can call her, that’s not too much” he thought to himself before putting the phone down next to the sink. He washed his hands and face and took his time changing into a new shirt before exiting the restroom to take a seat again. The crew would be landing soon and they would be asked to fasten their seatbelts, so Oliver made his way to his seat quickly. Laurel had been woken up by Tommy, too, though he obviously chose to wake her more gently then he did with Oliver.  
Laurel already made plans for the evening with Tommy when Oliver could see the skyline of Starling City beneath the clouds.

 

Once the plane hit ground, the crew quickly unloaded their luggage and Tommy, Laurel and Oliver took a seat in the Limo that awaited them.

“Would you want to join us tonight, Ollie? We’ll go to that new Italian Restaurant downtown. We could also ask Moira and Thea!” Laurel spoke up and Oliver stopped her immediately. “Oh hell no! Thanks for the offer, but it stresses me enough knowing I have to have lunch with them in an hour.” Oliver announced and Laurel just rolled her eyes. “Fine, then it’s just the two of us,” she petted Tommy on the cheek, before giving him a quick kiss.

 

When the Limo arrived at Oliver’s Loft, he hugged both Laurel and Tommy before he followed the servant carrying his luggage upstairs. He dreaded that lunch date with his mother and sister, but he promised them, so he wanted to get over with it as quickly as possible. As soon as he arrived at his floor, he waited for his luggage to arrive, quickly grabbed his car keys and headed to the Queen Mansion.

 

As soon as he pulled up the driveway and got out of the car, Moira opened the main entrance and waited for him at the door.

“Oliver, dear! Good to have you back! Come in!” she waved him inside with Thea waiting in the living room, watching some News.  
“Look who’s back!” Thea yelled, her mood a lot lighter than it had been just a few days before in Marbella. “Did Tommy and Laurel annoy you with their wedding stuff? I bet it was boring there without me!” Thea grinned, getting up from the couch to follow her mother into the dining room.

“I hope you’re hungry, Oliver? Your father couldn’t join us tonight, but I asked Raisa to cook us something nonetheless.” Moira announced and Oliver was happy that the conversation went so easily. He wasn’t in the mood to talk much anyway, the jetlag hitting him hard and thoughts of Felicity occupying his mind, but with light topics and no fights from his sister, he could do for the day. 

 

When Thea excused herself from the table after the 10th text message on her phone, Oliver also said his goodbyes for the day and went back to his Loft to have a good amount of sleep, but not before calling Felicity and talk to her for a while. He was curious how her appointment went and if the Doctors would be able to help her. And he missed her voice. A lot, actually.

As soon as he pulled up in the parking garage, he quickly made his way to the elevator. That’s when he reached for the inside pocket of his jacket once he arrived at the door to his Loft and realized that his phone wasn’t there. Confused for a moment, he started searching all pockets of his Jeans and Jacket and even went downstairs to his car to check again on it when it became clear to him...  
He forgot his phone in the Restroom of the Merlyn jet! And Felicity was probably be trying to reach him!

 

Oliver immediately entered his Loft and called Tommy from his office phone.

“Tommy, where’s the jet?” Oliver blurted out as soon as his friend took the call.

“Relax, buddy. Do you want to fly back to Felicity or what?” Tommy joked but Oliver was having none of it.

“Tommy seriously, where is the jet? I left my phone on it and I’m sure Felicity is trying to call me for hours already!”

“I’m sorry buddy, but as far as I know the Crew is already on its way to New York with some of our employees. I doubt you’ll get your phone back before they return tomorrow. Sorry buddy. But I’m sure Felicity is fine. You’ll hear from her soon enough.” Tommy tried to calm him down but Oliver just sank into his desk chair, full of frustration.

“Yeah well, please tell Laurel I’m sorry I interrupted your Dinner. Talk to you tomorrow!” Oliver quickly hang up and left the office, heading straight for the bar. He needed a drink now. With no chance to talk to Felicity and the thought of having broken the promise to call her immediately, he was sure he wouldn’t get much rest tonight if he didn’t have a drink.

After he downed 4 Whiskey in record time, exhaustion took over him and he barely made it into bed before he passed out.

 

_____________________

 

When Felicity woke up, she immediately tried to grab her phone. She didn’t know how long she slept, but she was still in her clothes, so she at least didn’t wake up in at some point to undress.

When her phone told her it was 1.18am she startled up. Checking her phone again she realized she didn’t have any missed calls, which surprised her. Oliver promised to call her as soon as he arrived in Starling and he must have been home for at least a few hours now. “Well maybe he was as tired as I was and just fell asleep” she thought to herself and decided to call him.

When her call went straight to the Mailbox again, she got confused. After giving it two more tries, both going straight to the Mailbox as well, she decided to leave him a short Voicemail to call her back as soon as he get the chance. She didn’t tell him she missed him, just kept it as short as possible in hopes to hear from him soon before she undressed and got under her sheets. Sheets that still smelled a lot like Oliver. She rolled over to his pillow and inhaled deeply before curling it under her face, keeping it as close to her nose as possible.

 

With the scent of Oliver on her pillow, she drifted off to sleep again.  
Tomorrow he would call her, of that she was sure.


	7. Plane vs. Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the Kudos and Comments! They really warm my heart. ♥

Oliver awoke to the noise of his phone ringing in his office. He tried to ignore it, but the ringing wouldn’t stop and the sound gave him a headache, so he got out of bed. Who would call him that early in the morning wondered him just as much as it annoyed him. When he answered the call it was the squeaky voice of his little sister that greeted him on the other end of the line.

“Good morning big brother, just calling you to let you know that Mom is expecting you at the Mansion in two hours. She wants to have breakfast with us and she especially asked for you to join us, so… see you later!” she grinned and hung up.  
  
Oliver just shook his head, threw the phone back on the desk and went for the bathroom. He needed a cold shower to clear his mind and an aspirine to get rid of the ringing in his head before he could face anyone at a breakfast table. While relaxing under the warm streams of water, he thought about the last day. Nothing went as planned. He promised Felicity to call her as soon as he arrived in Starling again and he manages to forget his phone on that damn jet! She was probably thinking he played her around and wasn’t interested in her any more, maybe she even tried to call him or leave messages to call her back. Now it has been almost 24 hours since he left Marbella and so far she hasn’t heard a word from him. That’s not how he wanted to start things with Felicity, especially not after such an amazing weekend with her. 

As soon as he got out of the shower, he sent Tommy a quick text and made himself ready for breakfast with his mother.

 

Oliver arrived at the Queen Mansion just in time. Raisa was already preparing the table while Moira and Thea strolled through the kitchen. Oliver hugged his Mother and gave Thea a slap on the back of her head while passing her.

“Owww, idiot!” she hissed, while rubbing her head. “What was that for?”

“For calling me in the middle of the night!” he waved a finger in her direction, daring her to call him again that early in the morning. Thea just gave him an evil grin and sticked out her tongue at him. 

 

During breakfast Moira kept to lighter topics and Oliver informed them that the Archers were discussing a contract with a possible new Sponsor right now, so he would have the chance to play again, soon.

“There is a reason why I asked you to join us for breakfast this morning, Oliver. Robert will be out of town for several more days and there will be a Charity Gala at the Grand Hyatt tomorrow evening and I’d like you to join me. Both of you.” Moira added while looking at Thea.

“I can’t. I’ll be flying back to Marbella this evening.” Oliver announced.

 

_____________________________

 

Felicity picked up her phone and asked it to call her nurse Nick. He picked up immediately which actually surprised Felicity.  
“Nick? Hey, could you come over to my room and help me pack, please? We’ll fly back home tomorrow… I hope. Just need to hear from Caitlin about it.”

 

It was already noon in Marbella when Felicity called Caitlin. She thought about calling earlier, but with the time difference, she knew it would be still night in Los Angeles, even though the day had already started in Spain. So when she called Caitlin’s number, a very sleepy voice answered the phone.

“Felicity, it’s 5 in the morning. Seriously?”

Felicity just giggled into the phone. She was happy to hear Caitlin’s voice, even if her tone was a bit harsh and sleep-ridden. But after a boring morning in her Hotel Room, she was happy to finally talk to a familiar voice again and push away her thoughts about Oliver for a moment.

“Were you able to re-schedule my flight yet? I can’t wait to get out of here.” she pouted and Caitlin was quick to help her out.

“Yup, already booked you an earlier flight. You’ll be flying home on Thursday afternoon, Spanish time. It was the only flight I could get you without more than one Stop, but at least you won’t have to stay there until Sunday, so… I’ll text you all the flight details, please make sure your nurse gets them correctly. I’ll pick you up from the airport then.” she yawned and Felicity had to hold back a laugh.

“Thank you Cait, I really appreciate that. Everything, actually” Felicity said, letting her head sink back into the pillow while she spoke.

“How are you feeling? Do you still think you made the right choice?”

“Absolutely. I’m not going to risk my health just to have the chance to get my eyesight back 2 or 3 months earlier.”

“That sounds like there’s ‘BUT’ coming...” Caitlin added.

“Not really,” Felicity sighed. “but the last 3 days? I would have given anything to be able to see again. Even if only for an hour.” Felicity’s tone made Caitlin curious and Felicity could hear that Caitlin was wide awake by now.  
“Felicity Smoak! What happened? I know something happened, I know that tone all too well… Spill it!”

 

Felicity exhaled loudly. It was true. Her friend knew her all too well. But could she tell Caitlin everything that happened with Oliver the last weekend? She barely understood it herself, how should she explain it to her best friend then? Before she could over think the situation, Felicity decided to tell her friend. At least she had someone to talk to about it now.

 

“I met someone. And I can’t even explain what happened in the last 3 days, but he’s gone now, and I miss him. And I know that sounds super cheesy and you probably think I’m behaving like a poor vacationer falling for one of the Hotel Animation team dudes but that’s really not the case, Cait… and before he left he promised to call me but now I can’t reach him anymore and he never called either. And in two days I’ll head home with nothing than a name and a memory of the last weekend. And I hate it already. And I hate that I hate it because he’s practically a stranger to me, yet it feels like I know him for a long time already. Does that even make sense?”

Felicity spoke so fast, Caitlin wasn’t sure she understood all of it.  
“Oh boy, I need to bring you home faster than I planned to, it seems. That screams for a girls night with loads of mint chip ice cream and surely NO boys around!” Caitlin laughed. 

 

They talked about the last 3 days that Felicity spent with Oliver and with every question that Caitlin asked, the information just spilled out of Felicity. She was never one to talk much about her relationships; Caitlin knew about Cooper, she was there when Felicity met him for the first time and she was also there when they broke up and Felicity crashed on her couch for a week. But talking about personal relationship stuff? So not Felicity’s thing. Which is why it surprised Caitlin even more to hear all these things from her – even though she warned Felicity to not hook up with someone you met at during a vacation.

They talked for a good 30 minutes before Caitlin had to get ready for work.

 

______________________________

 

“You’re flying back to Marbella? But you just got back here a day ago!” a very surprised Thea shot at him after hearing Oliver’s announcement. “It’s because of that blonde girl, right?”

Oliver gritted his teeth. This wasn’t how he planned the conversation, but he should have known. His sister wasn’t stupid and she had seen Felicity and him. He just dreaded to answer any questions like that over the breakfast table.  
“Thea, I don’t think –“

“Does she know about Isabel?" Thea interrupted him, the friendliness on her face long forgotten.

"Thea!" Oliver warned her through gritted teeth.

"Oh don't 'Thea' me, Ollie! I heard Tommy talking to Laurel about you and her at the Club yesterday. Felicity, right? Well, if Laurel likes her, then she really must be something! And no one deserves to be played around, Ollie.” Thea spat at him over the table, ignoring the confused stares of her mother.

"I'm not 'playing her around'. What makes you even think I do? And since when are you so protective of people you don’t even know??" Oliver yelled back with an irritated tone. Here he was yet again, fighting with his 18 year-old sister over his relationships.

Thea didn’t back away though. "For one, your reputation, big brother. And past experiences. And if you're going to break this poor girls heart, do it quick please. Before she finds out herself." she warned him, before stuffing a piece of Croissant into her mouth, never breaking eye contact with him.

“Why the fuck is everyone thinking I’m going to break Felicity’s heart??” he yelled over the table, his anger quickly spiking up at Thea’s accusations.

“Oliver, watch your tone, please!” Moira quickly spoke up but Oliver cut her off.

“No, mom! I am not! Everyone keeps telling me I’m going to fuck this up and I’m so done hearing this! Especially from you, Thea! You have no idea what you’re talking about and maybe you should get your own shit together in the first place before dealing with mine! My relationships are none of your fucking business so shut it, once and for all!”

 

Oliver had gotten up from his chair while he yelled at Thea. Moira tried to calm him down while Thea sat on the other side of the table with a blank face, taking in what Oliver yelled at her.

After he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, he turned to his mother.  
“I’m sorry I can’t join you at the Gala tomorrow. Have a nice evening though.” he tried to sound as apologetic as possible, putting his napkin back on the table and leaving the dining room.

Within seconds it became dead silent in the mansion before Moira could hear the front door click shut.

 

She turned her attention to Thea who already busied herself with her phone.  
“Was that really necessary, Thea?” Moira asked calmly.

“Yes, it was, Mom. I’m not going to keep my mouth shut every time Ollie does some bullshit. He fooled around with enough of my friends in the past and if this is my way of revenge, I’ll gladly take it!” Thea bluntly replied before moving her attention to her phone again.

“I’m sorry but I need to leave as well, Mom. Jenny will be here in an hour, I still need to find a dress for that Gala tomorrow.” She smiled at her mother before getting up from the table, leaving Moira alone in the dining room.

 

Oliver let his mind drift off while steering his white Porsche through the streets of Starling City.  
Why did everyone expect him to ruin all of his relationships? Not only Thea, but Tommy as well reminded him not to mess it up with Felicity and Oliver was just tired of hearing it. His Playboy past seemed to still haunt him, even after getting into a serious relationship with Isabel and taking a step back from the partying and sleeping around. And even though the tabloids stopped reporting about all his misbehavings, apparently his friends and family constantly made sure to remind him what a fucked-up person he was.

With all the stress and tension that early in the morning he just realized how much he missed waking up next to Felicity, far away from all the trouble and stress of his everyday life. He missed her and he couldn’t wait to see her again. His luggage was still unpacked, but he would need fresh clothes and have a quick shower before he’d head to the airport, which is why he sped up his car and steered it to his Apartment building in record time.

 

He was still deep in thoughts about Felicity when he pulled up in the parking garage and was about to make his way to the main entrance when a female voice stopped him.  
“Oliver. Good to finally see you. You never called after you came back.” Isabel smiled at him and Oliver wasn’t sure if he should ignore her or punch her in the face for grinning at him like that. He had to bite back a sigh and tried to stay as calm as possible. She was the very last person he wanted to see right now. So he went with option 3, keeping the conversation as short as possible and getting rid of her as quickly as he could.

“Isabel. I just returned last night and had to catch up on sleep. What are you doing here?”

Isabel gave him an irritated look.  
“What I am doing here, Oliver, is trying to talk to you. Apparently you are ignoring my calls and we still have things to discuss – “

“Not here, not now. I have somewhere else to be right now. Send me a text and we can set up an appointment.” he cut her off and was already making his way to the stairs when Isabel quickly followed him and roughly grabbed his wrist to stop him.

“Don’t you dare leave me here like that! You have been ignoring me long enough, Oliver! How much longer do you think you can play this game with me?” she yelled at him in front of his Apartment building, not caring for by-passers who gave them a confused look.

“ME playing a game with you? You’ve got to be kidding me, Isabel! Just remember everything that happened and then think about if you are the one who should ask that question again!" he spat at her, his finger just inches away from her face.

"You know you can't ignore me any longer, Oliver! How much longer do you think I can keep it secret?" she yelled at him and Oliver had to take a step back and put some distance between them before he could speak again.

"This is NOT the time to bring up that topic and like I told you, we can discuss how we'll handle the situation as soon as I have time for it. Which clearly is not right now." Oliver tried to remain calm, even though Isabel yelling at him in front of his building just added to the pile of anger that his little sister just build up in him this morning.

"This 'situation' as you like to call it, has been ignored by for way too long already, Oliver! Maybe you should finally grow up, behave like the man you pretend to be and handle the situation properly!" Isabel told him in an annoyed tone, crossing her arms in front of her chest, never breaking eye contact with him.

Oliver just shook his head in disbelief. This woman seriously had the guts to call him a pretender and immature person!  
"Why am I even talking to you? This is ridiculous…” he laughed while shaking his head and freeing his wrist from her grip, ending the conversation his way before stepping up to the main entrance to greet Miguel, the bellman. Isabel still stood outside the building, her mouth hanging open, fire in her eyes.

 

“Miguel, could you please make sure that this woman,” he said, pointing in Isabel’s direction with his thumb “won’t get onto my floor by any means? I don’t want to see her upstairs, even if she insists to be let up there.” He kindly asked and Miguel just smiled and nodded.

“Of course, Mister Queen.”

“Thank you.” He replied with a smile and knocked on the counter twice before he made his way to the elevator. He could just hope Isabel would be gone by the time he made his way to the airport.

 

It took Oliver just 30 minutes to shower before he quickly unpacked and re-packed his luggage. He knew Felicity was staying for just a few more days, so he wouldn’t need to pack as much as he did for his last trip to Marbella. Just when he finished packing and pulled the luggage to his front door, the doorbell rang.  
When Oliver opened the door, Tommy greeted him with a smug look.

“So you’re really doing this?” Tommy grinned through his sunglasses.

“Hello to you, too, Tommy.” Oliver replied while grabbing his luggage and leaving his Loft. 

Tommy just shook his head with a laugh, following him to the elevator. “I wasn’t wrong then…” he mumbled to himself while they waited for the elevator doors to open.

“With what?”

“You’ve fallen for her hard, man.” Tommy answered while pointing down to Oliver’s luggage.

“I need to do that, Tommy. If I don’t go back now, I may never have the chance again.” Oliver replied before the doors opened and they entered the elevator.

“Oh I’m not complaining, buddy. I actually think this is the best idea you’ve had in a long time.” Tommy honestly replied and Oliver raised his eyebrows in confusion.

“What about the whole ‘don’t break her heart, it won’t work anyway’ – speech that you gave me some days ago?”

“I saw the way you acted around her, and it seems I was wrong. Maybe it could really work out,” Tommy shrugged his shoulders at him. “I would have done the same if I was in your position. Just… don’t mess this up, Ollie.”  
Oliver exhaled deeply and rolled his eyes at the statement, but Tommy was quick to cut him off before he could say anything.” And you know how I mean it. All I’m saying is, if you’re boarding that plane and go back there, make sure you really mean it. Felicity didn’t seem like the type of girl who would be into casual dating or something.”

 

When they arrived at the Lobby, Oliver quickly glanced around before stepping out of the elevator. Tommy was already out and looked at Oliver with a very confused face.  
“Already having doubts or what?”

When Miguel saw Oliver suspiciously looking around the Lobby area, he got up from his chair and waved him a thumbs up, signaling him it was clear to step out into the Lobby.

“The woman left after you went upstairs, Mister Queen. She hasn’t been back since.”

“Woman?” Tommy asked with a curious tone, cocking an eyebrow at Oliver.

“Isabel,” Oliver replied with a sigh. “And I absolutely DON’T want to talk about it.”  
Tommy just rolled his eyes at that but Oliver's firm tone made it clear that he really didn't want to talk about it right now, so Tommy decided to drop the topic for the moment.

“Thank you Miguel. I’ll be away for a few more days. Could you get my mail upstairs, please?”

“Of course, Mister Queen. Have a safe trip.” Miguel nodded at him before he got back to work on his Computer.

 

Tommy and Oliver entered the waiting Limo and made their way to the airport.  
When Tommy kept staring at Oliver with a smirk on his face, Oliver eyed him annoyingly.

“I know you want to say something, so say it.”

Tommy just huffed a laugh. “So what’s your plan once you arrive there? Head to the Hotel and then what? Spend some more days with her and then take her back home to Starling in hopes she might stay?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. For now I just want to see her again and explain to her why I never called her after I got back.”

“And it never came to your mind to just call the Hotel and ask to be put through to her room? It’s not that hard, actually. I’m sure even you can manage that, buddy.” Tommy grinned.

“Ha ha, guess what I did twice? But either the spanish Receptionist didn’t understand what I wanted from him, or Felicity was never in her room when I called. I even asked them to leave her a note with my office number so she would have the chance to reach me, but how should I know if she received it? And even if she did, it’s not that she can read that note… so her wacky nurse would have to help her, and I’m not so sure if he would do that.” Oliver explained, frustration clearly audible in his voice.

“Quite the dilemma you’re having, I’d say.” Tommy grinned before putting his sunglasses into his jacket. “Oh, before I forget… I got something for you.”

Tommy started fishing through his jacket before he pulled something out of his breast pocket and handed it to Oliver.  
“My phone!” Oliver screamed before grabbing the phone out of Tommy’s hands.

“God, you’re such a girl." he joked when Oliver quickly grabbed the phone and immediately started turning it on. "The plane staff gave it to me this morning. The battery is dead but I figured you wouldn’t want to leave without it.” Tommy smiled proudly.

Oliver immediately started rummaging through his luggage when he realized he didn’t pack his phone charger. “You don’t happen to have a spare charger, do you?”

“Nope, buddy. Can’t help with that. But chill out, just a few more hours and you’ll be with her again.” Tommy patted his shoulder when the Limo arrived at the Airport Departure Area.

They exited the car together, Oliver grabbed his luggage, gave Tommy a quick hug and pat on the shoulder and thanked him for the ride and the help.  
“Anytime, buddy. Call me if you need to be picked up.” Tommy called before getting back into the Limo.

 

After waiting one long hour at the Gate, he finally was able to board the plane. He was facing a 16 hour flight now with 2 Stops in New York and Frankfurt and had no idea how to kill time besides sleeping and watching one of the boring plane movies, but at least he was on his way back to her. Just 16 more hours and he could finally hug and kiss her again. After his Stop-Over in NYC he boarded the Business Class on the plane to Europe. It was already late in the afternoon when the plane left the runway and Oliver was quick to order a Whiskey and a blanket to make himself comfortable on the 9-hour flight. With the time difference between the USA and Europe he was sure jetlag would kick him in the ass if he didn’t get a decent amount of sleep on the plane. After downing his Whiskey and snuggling into his blanket, he drifted off into a deep sleep, nothing but Felicity on his mind.

 

______________________________

 

After Felicity ended the call with Caitlin she contemplated about what she should do. Calling Oliver for the 15th time wouldn’t change anything and she was sick and tired of hearing nothing but his Mailbox all the time. Maybe Caitlin was right? Maybe he changed his mind about her? The thought made her sad. Could she really be that blind, literally speaking? Why did she even allow him into her heart that fast? Didn’t she learn from the past, especially after what Cooper did just a few weeks ago?

The more she thought about the possibility of Oliver having fooled with her the entire weekend, the angrier she became.  
“Oh god, I’m so stupid,” she told herself loudly, “I am so STUPID!”

Anger spiked up in her even more. She recalled everything that happened and tried to get her head straight over everything.  
Of course he picked her to fool around with. Obviously she was the weakest and easiest victim he could find. And it’s not that she could yell at him later for what he did, if she ever met him on the street because well… she never officially met him. With one last effort, she tried calling Oliver once more. This time not to tell him she missed him, she was ready to tell him to go and have sex with himself and to never call her again.  
Oh god, the sex!  
“I am SO glad I never slept with that douchebag.” she yelled into her pillow before throwing it through her room with a loud growl. She was furious, furious about Oliver and the way he lied to her and played her, but mostly she was furious at herself for even allowing him to play her around. Normally she called people out on their shit the minute they approached her and it’s not that she showed any interest in these Playboy dudes anyway.

The only thing she couldn’t wrap her brain around was the way Tommy and Laurel behaved around her. If Oliver just fooled around with her, why were his friends so nice to her? She could hardly imagine them playing her around as well because – what for?

 

All that thinking without clear answers gave her a major headache and she couldn’t wait to get out of the Hotel and the Country back into Caitlin’s Apartment, back to her familiar surroundings and familiar voices, far away from any Playboy idiots trying to hook her up just for fun.

She exhaled loudly and called Nick, hoping he would pick up the phone as quick as he did this morning. Obviously he was her only chance now to leave her Hotel room and help her get to the Pool.  
If she had to spend another day in here, she would at least make sure to get a decent tan before heading back home. When Nick picked up the phone after the 3rd ring and agreed to bring her down to the Pool, she quickly changed into her bikini and waited for him to arrive with the wheelchair. At least she could enjoy some more sunbathing today and get to bed early.

“Only one more day to kill tomorrow and I can leave this god damn Hotel and every shitty memory behind,” she muttered to herself.

 

When Nick strolled over with the wheelchair and she took a seat, he rolled her to the elevator in silence. Before the doors closed, Felicity turned her attention to Nick.

“Would you like to have Dinner with me tomorrow evening? I figured with our last day here tomorrow, I could at least say thank you for the help,” she offered, even though it was the biggest lie she has told in a long time. But if she wouldn’t have to eat alone and could keep her mind away from the anger about her own stupidity and the whole Oliver-fiasco with some casual conversation, that little lie didn’t hurt too much.

“Sure, why not?” Nick shrugged, “It’s not that Spanish TV is very satisfying anyway, so… yeah, Dinner would be cool.”

“ ‘Cool’… Now that’s a way to hide your excitement“ Felicity thought to herself.  
But at least she had some company for the next evening, so she didn’t complain.


	8. in time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Attention please...
> 
> it's going to be slightly smutty in here. :-D

 

 

Felicity waited for Nick to arrive at her Room so she could head downstairs with him for Dinner. It was weird for her, but at least she wouldn’t have to spend the evening alone after two pretty boring days at the Pool.  
When Nick arrived at her door, they quickly made their way downstairs. They arrived at the Lobby and headed towards the Restaurant when Nick realized he forgot his phone in his room. He excused himself and quickly made his way upstairs again. Felicity could just wait in the Lobby when she heard a familiar name.

“Hola Senor Queen, welcome back! I made sure to book you the same room again.” the Receptionist smiled and handed Oliver the key card to his room. “If you need anything please let me know.”

“Oliver?” a surprised female voice spoke up behind him and Oliver’s head shot around. He didn’t expect to see her downstairs. He actually planned to surprise her in her Room, maybe with a basket of food for a romantic Picnic on the balcony. Now she surprised him by sitting in her wheelchair, alone, in the Hotel Lobby.

“Oliver?” Felicity spoke again, sounding more uncertain than the first time.

“Felicity, hey!” Oliver quickly walked over to the wheelchair, kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her hand that rested silently in her lap. Felicity didn’t move, though. She sat there, stock still, not knowing what was happening around her. Was Oliver really there? And if so, how could he be? And why?

“Oliver, what are you doing here?” was all she could ask, not daring to move a muscle, still not believing he was really there.

She could feel him gently stroke her hand with his thumbs when he started to speak. “I took a flight back here. I needed to see you again.”

Felicity was confused. When Oliver left she was sure they would speak again soon and after more than 24 hours of trying to reach him, doubts started to cloud her mind. So much that with waking up this morning, she was sure Oliver was never going to call her or meet her again. She was sure he just wanted to have his way with her, even if only for a weekend. She promised herself that, especially after this weekend, she definitely wouldn’t trust any man so soon again, no matter how nice or gentle he might be. And now Oliver stood in front of her and she didn’t know what to do any more. And it confused her. So much that she didn’t say a word or moved a muscle. All she could do was sit there and listen to Oliver talk.

“Have you eaten yet? I just arrived here from a 16 hour flight and sure could need a Steak. Would you have Dinner with me? I need to explain so much, -"  
"Actually," Felicity interrupted him, finally finding her voice again, pulling her hand out of his before dropping it into her lap, earning a very confused look from Oliver. "I'll have Dinner with Nick in a few minutes. But, uhm..." Felicity shifted in her wheelchair uncomfortably, "we could talk... later, maybe? If you want?"

 

Olivers face fell into a confused frown. Why was she so reluctant? Wasn't she happy to see him? He certainly missed her and when they left Marbella, it certainly seemed like she would miss him, too. But now she didn't even want to be touched by him.  
He planned to kiss her when surprising her. He missed the feel of her lips, the way she smiled into him, every time he leaned in to kiss her. But kissing her now felt just wrong, even though he really wanted to. But Oliver was almost certain that she would have smacked him with her purse if he'd tried right now.  
Confused, he got up on his feet again and took a step back. He still had so many questions about her doctor's appointments and he wanted to explain so much what went wrong the last 2 days, but right now he was at a loss for words.  
When Nick appeared again, his phone in hand, slightly nodding at Oliver while he grabbed the handles of the wheelchair, Oliver quickly spoke up.

"I would love to talk. Can I see you at your room in an hour?"  
He almost sounded... uncertain? This was so unlike him, and uncertainty was definitely the last feeling he thought about when it came to Felicity and flying back to her.

"Yeah, that sounds good." she gave him a small smile before Nick spun her around and quietly rolled her to the Restaurant.

 

Oliver went straight for his room. He was exhausted, tired, in need of a shower and most of all, Oliver was confused. Sure, he wasn't a man who made big plans when it came to Surprises or Dates, but with Felicity he had the whole thing planned out.  
He wanted to arrive at the Hotel, quickly check in, get onto his Room, shower and change and then arrange Dinner for them, just the same Dinner he arranged the first night they went out.  
This now, though? So not like he would have wanted it to happen. Felicity basically sneaking up on him in the Lobby was a stupid coincidence that Oliver had no power over, but her reaction to hearing him? He couldn't get his head over it.  
Did something happen at the Doctor's appointment? Or was she having regrets about him? Maybe she was. Maybe she was even happy when Oliver left. Maybe she would have never returned his calls anyway.  
His calls!

 

Quickly he grabbed his luggage, threw it open and started rummaging through it, looking for the life-saving white charger cable. When he found it, Oliver quickly plugged it into the nightstand and connected his phone. It took him a good 2 minutes and excessive pacing around his hotel room until the phone's screen finally lid up.

When he unlocked it, a load of notifications about text messages, eMails and missed calls appeared on the screen. He ignored most of them, only looking for calls or messages from that one name.

When he checked his callers list, he sank back onto the bed.  
2 missed calls from Tommy, 2 from Isabel, 5 from Thea, several calls from Team members of the Archers and 27 missed calls from Felicity... the last one from yesterday morning until the calls suddenly stopped.

When Oliver scrolled through the timeline, he could see that she tried calling him every few hours, even through the night, and he found himself wondering if Felicity slept the last nights properly, at all.  
Just a few hours after he left on Monday she tried calling him for the first time, which he found super sweet, actually. She must have known he was still on the plane but apparently she needed to give it a try anyway. Maybe she just wanted to tell him how her appointment went, something he was still very eager to know.

 

The breaks between trying to call him became longer and longer and Oliver himself could feel how frustrated Felicity must have become when she couldn't get ahold of him, even after so many hours she knew he was back in Starling City already. The calls went on until the morning of Tuesday - with the last one made around 11.30am. After that, she didn't try calling him anymore and the more Oliver scrolled through his callers list, the more he wanted to see hundreds more of missed calls from her. He wanted to see she still tried, wanted to see she was still fighting to get ahold of him.

But with her behavior in the Lobby, the stopped calls all made sense. He just didn't know the reason behind it, but was sure to find out soon.

 

After Oliver put his phone on the nightstand to let it charge, he quickly stripped out of his Jeans and Henley and made his way into the shower. It was still 30 minutes until he could go downstairs to meet Felicity, but sitting on his bed while staring at his list of missed calls for another 20 minutes wasn't really an option, so he chose to get ready instead after sending Tommy a quick text that he made it to Marbella safely.

Actually, he planned to have an incredible evening with her. He wanted to take her to Dinner, maybe snuggle at the beach with her for a while, and then go to her room, spending the night there and see where things could lead.

Before he left Marbella, Tommy's words stuck deep in Oliver's head. He didn't want to break Felicity's heart, and without knowing if things could work out or how he really felt about the thing that they had, there was no way he could have slept with her.

Playboy Oliver wouldn't have cared about that for one minute, he would have made his move the first evening already. But this wasn't about Playboy Oliver and some 'vacation hookup' as his mother liked to call it - this felt like it could be way more. And it took Oliver a flight back home to Starling City to fully realize that.

So with the romantic Dinner and all his plans for the evening over board, he had to think of a Plan B for the night. Never he would have guessed that Felicity would refuse having Dinner with him, but with her strange behavior earlier he was happy she at least agreed to see him.

 

And there he sat now on the edge of his bed, fresh out of the shower, in his black boxer briefs, hair just towel dried and still damp. He contemplated about wearing the suit he packed for the Date, but decided against it. It wouldn’t be fitting if he just went over to Felicity’s room for talking.

Instead he went for the casual look, throwing on some Cargo Shorts and a black T-Shirt and his favorite Nike Sneakers. For a moment he considered wearing a cap but quickly decided against it and went to style his hair. After a load of his favorite perfume ("If she can't see me I must make sure she can at least smell me, right?"), Oliver quickly grabbed his key card and phone and made his way downstairs.

 

With every step towards her room Oliver became more and more nervous. He wanted to bring her flowers, but wasn’t sure if she’d like the gesture. Should he hug her when she opened the door? He wanted to, but with the way she pulled back earlier when he grabbed her hand in the Lobby, he decided against it.

“Don’t think too much, it’ll be fine, Queen.” he muttered to himself before he entered her floor and walked to her Room.

He stopped in front of her door and listened closely. Was she back from Dinner already? Oliver knew he was a few minutes early, which was so unlike him, but he just couldn’t sit in his room and wait anymore. When he heard a shuffling noise and a door being closed inside, he hesitantly approached her door and knocked softly.

After a few seconds he could hear the all familiar hopping sound before the door slowly opened and her head peeked out.  
“Uhm, hi.” Oliver spoke while rubbing his palms on his pants and Felicity fully opened her room door at the familiar voice.

“Hi,” she spoke hesitantly, before motioning for him to come inside. Oliver went past her and entered the room, only to freeze on the spot after looking around. When Felicity followed him inside and took a seat on the edge of her bed, Oliver quickly looked around her bedroom and bathroom.

 

“You have packed?” Was the only thing he could blurt out at the moment, clearly confused about the scenario in front of him. He wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful in her purple dress; that he missed seeing her face and that he felt sorry for not calling her. But after seeing an almost empty room and her two travel cases neatly packed and placed at the foot of the bed, he couldn’t say any of that any more.

“Yeah, uhm…” Felicity looked around the room and shifted further onto the bed, “I’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. My friend was able to book us an earlier flight, so I’ll head back home sooner than planned.” She gave him a small smile before leaning back against the headboard of her bed. Oliver still stood in the spot, dumbfounded. Felicity relaxed her back against the headboard, hands in her lap, her left foot stretched out on the mattress while the right one dangled from the bed, her Flip Flop long forgotten.

“Felicity,” he slowly began, making his way to the foot of the bed to sit down. He could see Felicity inhale deeply at the shift of the mattress but she didn’t say a word, so he fully sat down before he spoke again. “What about your Doctor’s appointments? Shouldn’t you be having more until the end of the week?”

“I cancelled them.” she shrugged.

“What? Why?”

“Because they didn’t leave me an option, actually. It was either this, or taking the risk of losing my eyesight completely during the treatment.”

Oliver just stared at her while she spoke. She sounded very confident and it didn’t seem she was having doubts about her decision, yet he couldn’t completely understand what she was talking about. She had high hopes in the treatment before Oliver left and now she just sat there, telling him she wouldn’t do anything.

But what irritated him the most was the distant behavior that Felicity kept towards him. This wasn’t like the woman he left on Monday morning, kissing him passionately in the Lobby; this was like the woman he approached on Friday at the Pool, distant and hesitant towards him. He quickly wanted to change the topic and finally apologize to her and explain what happened, but he had no idea how to start that topic.

 

Felicity made the decision for him when she spoke again.  
“Oliver – what are you doing here? I mean, no offense, you can make holidays wherever you want, but –“

“I came back to see you, Felicity.” he said and found himself sliding further onto the mattress, putting his hand on her knee. Felicity froze on the spot, but didn’t remove his hand, so Oliver kept on speaking. “I owe you the biggest apology in the world and I can only guess you must be very confused and upset right now.”

“Well that sums it up pretty well.” she mumbled while fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

“I forgot my phone on the plane restroom and was unable to retrieve it until yesterday, shortly before I left to board another plane to go back to you.” Oliver spoke calmly, even though his heart was racing. “So every time you called me and I didn’t pick up – I couldn’t! I even called the Hotel reception twice, asking them to give you or your Nurse my office number so you could reach me, but after I didn’t hear from you, I assumed they either got my number wrong or didn’t hand you the note – OR you didn’t want to speak to me at all.” He tried to search Felicity’s face for any movements or emotions, but she kept her face completely blank, eyes hidden behind the sunglasses like she did all day.

“Felicity, if you have any doubts about this, just tell me and I’ll stay away from you. I just… -“ he slid up to the middle of the bed and placed her hand in his, “I just wanted to let you know that I tried to get in touch with you _SO_ bad. I had two horrible days guessing you must think the worst about me. I was just an idiot and forgot the phone in that damn restroom and when I arrived home and wanted to call you I realized that it was gone, and –“

 

“Oliver” Felicity interrupted him, barely whispering his name, before she pulled him down and crashed her lips over his. Oliver immediately kissed her back, stroking her face with his hand while he sneaked his other arm around her and pulled her in his lap. Felicity could feel his heart racing and she was happy that she wasn’t the only one who felt this way.  
When she pulled back for air, she rested her forehead on his chest.

 

“I was so worried when I couldn’t reach you at first. But after a day the worry had been replaced by doubt and anger and after I talked to my friend and told her about you and our last weekend, I was sure you only wanted to have your fun for some days and then go back home; that you never had the intention to call me again.”

“No Felicity, absolutely not.” He pulled her face in both of his hands and made her look up. When he gently removed the sunglasses and put them aside, she immediately closed her eyes. She couldn’t focus on his lips or eyes anyway, so she opted to close them instead. When Oliver rested his forehead against hers, she took a deep breath.

“I’ve had the worst two days of my life.” He admitted with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, tell me about it.” She just snorted and Oliver had to laugh. Just when he was going to kiss her again, his stomach made a terribly loud grumbling sound and Felicity burst out laughing.

“Hey, stop laughing,” he pouted. “I haven’t eaten anything since I left in New York, okay?”.

“What do you think? Should we head out to the Marina and see if we can find a nice little Restaurant? I know you have eaten already, but maybe there’s still room for Dessert?” he smiled at her and Felicity just grinned at him, nodding eagerly. The last two days had been boring as hell for her and as it turned out, her nurse Nick wasn’t really someone you’d call good company.

When she got off the bed and straightened out her dress with her palms, Oliver hugged her from behind, burying his nose in her neck.  
“You look beautiful.” He whispered and Felicity was sure she was blushing all over her face.

 

They made their way out of the Hotel and down the road to the Marina in silence mostly. Felicity enjoyed being in Oliver’s company and Oliver was just happy to spend this evening with her.

When they took a seat at a nice Restaurant down at the harbor and Oliver made his orders, he placed her hand in his and gently started stroking her palm.  
“So… how have your last two days been?” Felicity tried to sound as casual as possible, but couldn’t contain a slight grin.

“Oh, let’s see… I had to leave a wonderful woman behind in Marbella to fly back home to Starling City. Shortly before we arrived Tommy tried to beat me to death with a bowl of cherries. Then I forgot my phone on the jet restroom and didn’t realize until I was home already. Oh and then I had a fight with my sister at 8 in the morning which turned into a serious yelling competition over the breakfast table. Oh well, and I’m pretty sure I only slept like 5 hours in the last two days.” He nonchalantly nipped on his wine before grinning at her. “What about you?”

Felicity chuckled all the time while she kept listening to Oliver’s half ramble – half pouting. It sure sounded like he didn’t have any fun and she was trying to cheer him up.  
“Oh you know… nothing exciting. Met a nice guy at the Pool but it didn’t work out because he had to fly back home. Went to Dinner with my nurse which turned out to be the best time of my life, I never had such a good conversation before.” Felicity burst out laughing while she spoke, unable to finish the bullshit she was trying to make him believe. Guessing from Oliver’s silence he was cocking an eyebrow at her or something, which made her giggle even more.

“Oh god I would love to see your face right now.” she blurted out between laughs and immediately blushed at the words.

“I missed that laugh,” Oliver admitted. “And if we weren’t in public right now I would love to pull you onto my lap.” he genuinely replied.

 

They ate and talked until late in the evening. Felicity explained him all the details about the Doctor’s Check-up and treatment again and Oliver slowly began to understand why she didn’t want to do this.  
They also talked about Tommy and Laurel and that they sent their best wishes, along with the info that they expected to see Felicity in Starling City for a Double Date, soon.

When they made their way back to the Hotel around 11.30pm, Felicity couldn’t contain a yawn. Oliver was still too jet-lagged to be tired, even though he hadn’t slept much the last two days either.

 

When they made it to her room, Oliver helped her inside and made himself ready to leave again when a hand wrapped around his wrist and stopped him.

He had a déjà-vu to the moment when Isabel grabbed his wrist a day ago in front of his Apartment, but this time it were Felicity’s brightly painted nails and her tiny fingers that held his wrist, and he could only appreciate the sight.

“Felicity, it’s late. We both really need to sleep –“

Before Oliver could finish the sentence, Felicity wrapped her hand around his neck and closed the distance between their lips. She pulled back after a few seconds, only to whisper “Stay.” Into his ear before starting to kiss her way back up his jaw to his lips again.

Oliver broke the kiss after a few seconds, looking down at her.  
“Felicity, are you sure?” he asked gently and Felicity just smiled and turned around.

“Would you help me out of the dress, please?” she spoke over her shoulder before pulling her hair aside to show Oliver the zipper at the back of her dress.

 

He grabbed the zipper but hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should do that. He was never one to over-think situations, but right now Oliver wasn’t sure if this was what Felicity really wanted.  
“Oliver, please” she whispered and it was all it took to make him snap.

He slowly pulled the zipper down to reveal black lace and her wonderful tattooed wings underneath. When the dress hang loosely around her shoulders, he started nipping on her neck and Felicity tilted her head to the side to give him more leverage. When he reached her pulse point, she inhaled deeply.

Oliver pulled her to him, her small back firmly pressed against his broad chest. While he kept nipping at her neck and ear, his hands slowly pulled the straps of her dress over her shoulders and let it fall to the ground.

Felicity sneaked her right arm up and into his hair to pull him closer to her, making Oliver moan. He let his hands roam over her body, enjoying the feel of naked skin underneath his palms. When he reached her bra he gently pulled one of the straps down and started to tweak her nipple while he gently bit on her pulse point. Felicity couldn’t contain a moan and Oliver pressed her tighter to his body, letting his pants and his very prominent bulge graze her ass.

When she tried to sneak her right hand around between their bodies to rub his growing length through his pants, Oliver let go of her nipple and slowly made his way down her body. When his fingertips grazed the waistband of her panties, she inhaled deeply while wrapping her fingers firmly around his length, squeezing him tightly.

Oliver groaned into her neck before dipping his fingers into her panties.  
"Felicity," he moaned, when he felt how wet she already was.

Felicity moaned slightly at the feel of Oliver’s fingers against her, leaning her head back against his shoulder.

Oliver slowly walked them backwards until his calves hit the bed, never stopping his ministrations to her slick folds.

When Oliver sat back and pulled her into his lap, he spread her legs slightly with his knees and slowly slid one finger into her wet heat. Felicity arched her back and moaned loudly, jerking her hips over his firm erection.

"You feel so good, Felicity." he moaned into her ear while nipping on her Industrial Piercing. "God, I wanted to do this for so long."

When Oliver wrapped an arm securely around her stomach and laid back on the bed with her back resting on him, Felicity let out a surprised squeal.  
“Relax, beautiful. If you want to stop at any point, just say it and we’ll stop.” he whispered into her ear and Felicity was sure she just became more aroused just by the sound of his raspy voice. When he planted his feet firmly on the mattress, he spread her legs even wider in the process.

“This needs to go,” he whispered while pulling on her panties and Felicity was quick to help him shove the lacy garment down her legs. When he leaned back on the mattress and Felicity let her head fall onto his chest, Olivers fingers started exploring her body again. While one hand gently cupped her breast, the other trailed over her toned stomach down to her hips before dipping between her slick folds again. His thumb started teasing her clit with slow circles while he slipped a finger deep inside her. Felicity arched her back into Oliver’s hand kneading her breast and let out a loud moan, not able to withhold them any longer.

She writhed under his touch and Oliver could feel her breathing speed up just as much as her heartbeat. Smiling proudly into her neck, he added another finger and Felicity tried to widen her legs even more, trying to pull him deeper inside.  
“Please don’t stop Oliver…. Feels so good.” she moaned, trying to grind her hips into his hand to feel him deeper inside her.

 

Licking the outer shell of her ear Oliver whispered “I want to taste you.” before pulling out his fingers to move them to his lips, only to be stopped by Felicity’s hand. Oliver tilted his head in surprise, trying to look at her, when she moved his fingers to her lips and slowly started licking them, sucking each of them deep into her mouth.

Oliver growled at the sight of Felicity licking her own juices from his fingers before he tilted her head in his direction to slant his lips over hers. The taste of her juices on her lips made him even harder. She moaned into the kiss when Oliver plunged his fingers deep into her core again, sliding them in and out of her at a slow but steady pace that made her writhe above him.

Felicity gasped and rubbed her hips into his groin before she arched her back and reached between them, fumbling for the belt of his pants with her right hand.  
“I could use a little help down there,” she mumbled onto his lips and Oliver was quick to help out.

With quick movements he shoved his pants down his legs and freed himself of his T-Shirt. When Felicity felt pure muscle under herself, she inhaled deeply. She tried to let her fingernails scratch over his ribs and Oliver quickly grabbed her wrist and shoved her hands above their heads.

“Stop teasing me” he moaned, before plunging his finger deep into her wet core again. Felicity grinded her hips into his length, only the thin material of his boxer briefs separating them. Felicity started writhing in his arms and Oliver knew she was close, so he started circling her clit with his thumb again.

“Oh God, I think I’m going to come,” she panted, her hips undulating against him.

“Don’t hold back Felicity, let go…. Come for me!” he whispered in her ear, stroking her to a climax that almost made her faint. Her hips were going wild, moving against him and her cries grew sharper until she finally clenched tightly around his fingers, screaming out her release.

Her walls convulsed around him and Oliver helped her ride it out. She panted, unable to stop moving above him and Oliver gently stroked her body with his hand until she calmed down.  
“God, you’re so beautiful.” He whispered in her ear, gently stroking her hair before he peppered her head and shoulders with kisses.

 

It was Felicity who moved first, sliding off Oliver’s body and onto the mattress next to him. When she tried to grab his boxer briefs, he gently stopped her hand.  
Felicity gave him a confused look. “But –“

“No. Tonight is just about you.” He smiled, pressing a kiss on her forehead. “Now, c’mere.”  
Oliver pulled her to his chest, covering them both under her sheets.

 

“Oliver, that… that was,” she struggled to find the right words, still feeling the aftershocks of the orgasm that ripped through her minutes ago. “That was probably the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had.” she admitted, not able to hide a blush while she rested her head next to his on the pillow.

“Open your eyes.” he whispered calmly and Felicity just shook her head, keeping her eyes firmly closed, feeling embarrassed.

“Open your eyes, please. I want to see them.” Oliver whispered again while he gently stroked her hair.

Felicity ducked her head. “They probably look horrible, swollen or red or something.” she mumbled into his chest. “And I can’t see you anyway, so I’d rather keep them closed.”

“Felicity,” he gently tipped her head up again, “I am sure they are fine. Now open them – please.” He whispered before pressing a kiss to her lips.  
When he pulled back, Felicity slowly opened her eyes and looked into his direction before blinking a few times. The light in the room was very dim, only the nightstand covering the room in a soft glow, which actually helped Felicity keeping her eyes open. Too bright lights still hurt her eyes if she didn’t wear sunglasses, so she was happy she could open them without having the urge to close them again immediately.

“God, you have the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen…” he murmured and Felicity quickly closed them again and ducked her head under his chin.

 

When she let out a small yawn, Oliver snuggled her closer to his chest and kissed her temple gently.  
“Now let’s sleep. We both need it. Lot's of things to do tomorrow” he said before he shut off the light and relaxed into the bed with her in his arms.


	9. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a rather quick Chapter, but I didn't want to put it into the last one I posted. The next Chapter needs a fresh start, so here is the closure for the Marbella - time. :-)  
> Chapter 10 will be up, soon.
> 
> Again, thanks so much for all the Kudos and Comments! They warm my heart. ♥

Felicity slowly awoke to two sounds filling her room. One very familiar to her ears, the other – not so much.

The birds were chirping outside to let her know the day had begun in Marbella and it was slowly time to get up. And then there was that other sound, coming from the other side of her bed, and for a moment she thought a Polar Bear was sleeping next to her.

 

“Stop snoring!” she grumbled when she whipped her pillow in his face. “There are people in this room who actually try to sleep.”

When the blow of her pillow straight into his face jolted him awake and ripped him out of his sleep, Oliver shot up in surprise and tried to figure out what was happening. When Felicity whacked him a second time while giggling like a little kid, Oliver ducked to the side and tried to avert the blow with his arm – which sent him over the edge of the mattress and onto the floor of her room, butt-first.

Felicity burst out laughing at the sound and could only guess what was happening around her. Oliver’s confused sounds and whimpers combined with the loud ‘thud’ and the fact that her blanket had been ripped off her with a swoosh made everything clear to her.  
“Oliver, did you just fell out of bed?” she laughed hysterically, tears already pricking in the corners of her eyes.

“Very funny Smoak, veeeeery funny. What are you? 12?” Oliver grumbled while getting up from the floor and back in bed.

“Oh I see… you’re no morning person then.” she giggled.

“Not if you’re trying to wake me up like this every morning.”

“Well Mister, you were snoring like a lumberjack!” Felicity laughed when she turned on her back and looked over at his side.

“I was protecting you while you were sleeping!” he grinned.

Felicity burst out laughing again. He couldn’t be serious.  
“Protecting me? From what? Gnomes stealing my underpants or something?” she laughed.  
“We really need to work on that or I have to sleep on your couch when I visit you.” she waggled a finger in his direction and warned him.

 

Oliver leaned up on his elbows. “So you will still come visit me in Starling City?”

“Of course! - I mean… I hope you still want me to visit you?” Felicity sounded uncertain. Was he still up to this? They didn’t talk much about everything last night, but she got the feeling Oliver was in the same boat as her.

He crouched over to her, pulling her into his embrace, nuzzling his face into her neck before he spoke again. “I can’t wait to have you in Starling City, Felicity. I would even take you home with me today and never let you leave again if I could.” he admitted and Felicity had to smile when something dawned to her and she pushed away from him a bit to sit up.

“Oh frack, Oliver! You just arrived back here and I’ll be leaving today… how long did you plan to stay here? I feel bad now,” she frowned, “had I known you were coming here again, I would have never re-scheduled my flight!”

Oliver could only smile while he gently stroked her hair.  
“Everything’s fine. I didn’t know when you were leaving on Sunday, so I didn’t book a flight back yet. I’ll leave for the airport with you and will grab a flight from there. I mean, I could even fly with you and then take a car from LA or have Tommy pick me up with the Jet. We’ll see where they can book me.” he smiled at her and pulled her into his embrace again. They cuddled in silence for a few minutes until Oliver let out a snort, shaking his head a bit.

“What is it?” Felicity turned to face him, curious to what went on in his mind.

“I didn’t even unpack when I arrived here yesterday. And now we’re heading back home today already. Tommy will kill me,” Oliver huffed a laugh.

 

They spent the morning in bed for as long as they could. Oliver ordered them breakfast into their Room and they sat on her balcony, enjoying the birds chirping and the sun slowly rising over the Spanish Coast. When Nick called her to let her know their Shuttle would arrive in 30 minutes, they slowly made themselves ready to go downstairs.

Oliver quickly ran up to his room, gathered his stuff and arrived in the Lobby just in time to catch a cab to the Airport.  
Felicity already waited there while Nick checked in their luggage.

 

When Oliver arrived, he immediately booked a flight back to Starling City and took a seat next to Felicity in the Departure Hall.

“So… for how long do you have to sit here and wait for your flight?” Felicity grinned over her shoulder while rummaging through the bag in her lap, looking for her Passport.

“Just 2 hours. I got a seat on the next plane leaving to NYC.”

“Did I ever tell you that I have a cousin living in Starling City?” Felicity smiled at him through her sunglasses.

Oliver gave her a confused look. “No, you haven’t. So have you been to Starling in the past already?”

“No, he just moved there like 6 months ago. I always planned to visit him, but with my work and then everything that happened with Cooper I just didn’t have the yet. But I’ll definitely pay him a visit as soon as I’ll visit you.” she grinned at him, bumping into his shoulder.

Oliver took her hand in his, rubbing her palm gently with his thumb.  
“I can’t wait to see you again.” he whispered into her ear before he kissed her neck gently. Felicity stiffened in her wheelchair, trying not to look too affected by Oliver’s touch.

“Stop that or I’ll jump you in front of all the people here!” she murmured into his neck.

“Is that a promise, Miss Smoak?” he teased and did it again.

“Oliver, seriously… stop it!” she whined and had to shove him away, letting her hand rest on his firm chest a little longer than needed.  
“I can’t wait to have that damn eyesight back” she mumbled to herself and Oliver had to chuckle.

“Well I just hope I’m no disappointment to you once you’ve seen me for the first time,” he teased and Felicity could clearly hear the amused tone in his voice.

“I’m sure I’m going to love it” she smiled at him and Oliver took her face in his hands, pulling her over for a long, sweet kiss.

It was Nick that interrupted them, once again.  
“Felicity? We really need to leave now. Security check will take some time and the plane will board soon.”

 

Felicity threw her hands around his chest and hugged him as tight as she could.  
“I promise I will call as soon as I land in New York, Felicity. And I promise I won’t use the restroom on the plane – or any other room, for that matter.” Felicity had to laugh at that. When she sniffed her nose, he gently stroked her back. “Hey, everything’s fine, beautiful. We just hop on board, fly back home and as soon as we got back we’ll set a date so I can visit you. 

“Okay,” she whispered and Oliver pulled her in for another passionate kiss.

When she pulled back and took a seat in her wheelchair again, Oliver kissed her palm gently and placed it in her lap again. Nick grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and quickly rolled her to the Security Check.

 

Oliver could only sit in his chair and watch her leave.


	10. Past vs. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver finally visits Felicity in Los Angeles and meets her best friend Caitlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My longest Chapter so far. It’s also going to be quite smutty. I don’t regret anything. :D
> 
> Enjoy reading!
> 
> Also, thanks so much for all the Kudos and Comments! I read them all and try to take suggestions seriously! This is my very first fanfic over all and the first time I'm writing such a massive Story in a different language, as well. So challengeing! :)

The following 2 weeks Oliver and Felicity kept in contact almost 24/7.

He called her every morning to wake her up, she called him every evening to kiss him goodnight over the phone. It became like a habit to Oliver – one night when she passed out on the couch after a long conversation with Caitlin, she didn’t call him before Oliver went to bed; and it took him a long time to actually fall asleep that night. He tried calling her twice, just to make sure she was alright, but she didn’t pick up.  
When he gave it a try on the landline of Caitlin’s house, Felicity’s best friend picked up the phone, clearly annoyed at who might call that late in the evening. Felicity told him to use that number at extreme emergency cases only, but not being able to reach her on the phone was emergency case enough to him to excuse it.

 

_“Hello?” a clearly annoyed voice picked up the phone._

_“Uhm, hi. Sorry to bother you that late in the evening, but… can I speak to Felicity, please?”_

_“Who wants to speak to her? And how did you get that number” the annoyed voice replied and Oliver found himself very insecure all of a sudden. This wasn’t a behavior he was familiar with towards him, especially when it came to women. But on the other hand he was happy that Felicity has a friend who seemed to be careful, which is good, he thought._

_“I’m Oliver, a … friend of Felicity. She gave me this number in case I can’t reach her on her phone.”_

_“She’s sleeping.” was the quick reply._

_“Oh I see…. Well uhm, could you let her know that I called?”_

_“Sure.”_

_“Thanks. And sorry again for disturbing so late. Bye.”_  
Without another word, Felicity’s friend ended the call.  


 

Oliver found himself staring at the phone in his hand for several minutes, contemplating about what just happened. He was supposed to meet Felicity’s friends in the near future and if they were all like that – Lord help him. “Maybe it was just too late to call.” he muttered to himself and went to bed. Felicity would call him as soon as she was awake the next morning, so he could try and get some rest, too.

 

After a long and stressful day at his Training Center and later at lunch with his mother, Oliver was happy to come home and finally have the chance to talk to Felicity again. Sure, texting with her during the day was fun, but hearing her voice did something to him that text messages couldn’t. It calmed him down and made him miss Felicity’s presence a little less.  
As soon as he kicked his boots in the corner and plopped onto his couch, he called her. And as soon as he heard her voice for the first time that day, all stress fell from his shoulders and he was able to relax.

They talked about his day and about her Dimmer with her Mom. Felicity told him about her Doctor’s Appointment earlier that day and that her casts can be removed earlier than expected. Oliver was very relieved to hear that because it meant that Felicity’s body was strong and healed itself perfectly. He couldn’t shake the constant worry when it came to her, even if it was just a scratch or a broken bone that needed to heal. But Felicity didn’t mind him being so worried, so there was no need for him to hide it.

 

When Felicity let out a yawn, Oliver spoke up.  
“Hey uhm… I have the rest of the week off, our Bosses are discussing the final details with the new Sponsor and we don’t have to be at the Training Centre and I thought…” he wasn’t sure how to say it, even though he was sure Felicity would love the idea.

“What is it?” Felicity asked in a curious tone.

“Would you like me to visit you in LA?” he practically blurted out, followed by long seconds of dead silence on both ends of the line. Oliver wasn’t sure if she was still on the line and was going to call her name when Felicity finally spoke up.

“Oh absolutely! I was already wondering when you would ask me and even thought about asking you, but then I wasn’t so sure if I could travel all the way to Starling by myself and maybe you were just very busy and –“

“Felicity!” he laughed, stopping her rambling before it became worse. “So it’s a yes?”

“Yes! Yes, absolutely! I just need to talk to Caitlin if she’s okay with it, too. I mean, it’s her place after all.”

“Oh I can stay in a Hotel, no problem!”

“No you absolutely won’t!” Felicity replied with a firm (but still super cute) tone.

“Caitlin has a guest room that we can use, I’m sure she’s okay with that. She doesn’t use it anyway. We’d just need to put up the bed, she never unpacked it, that’s why I’m crashing on her couch right now, too. I’ll ask her tomorrow morning and will let you know. When do you want to come over?”

“As soon as possible. I could basically catch a flight as soon as I hear from you tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait to see you,” she whispered into the phone and Oliver just smiled at that. “Sleeping alone is the worst, especially on these stupid fluffy pillows. I miss the firm chest of yours to sleep on.” She mumbled.

“Yeah, tell me about it” Oliver laughed and Felicity had to giggle.

“You love sleeping on my firm chest? Wait, do I have a firm chest?” she rambled and Oliver could swear she was feeling her chest right now to find out whether it was firm or soft.

Oliver couldn’t stop laughing. He missed that carefree, relaxed Felicity and couldn’t wait to be by her side again.

“No, beautiful, you don’t have a firm chest. Or hairy, for that matter – which I appreciate, by the way.” he joked and Felicity burst out laughing. 

“You’re an idiot, Queen!” she laughed. “And usually I’m the one rambling, don’t take that away from me!”

“And you’re very charming tonight, Smoak.” He countered and both giggled for a little while until it was time to end the call.

“I should really get some sleep now. Caitlin will be up early and I don’t want to miss her before she’s off for work. The sooner I talk to her the sooner I have you in my arms again.” Felicity said and Oliver couldn’t agree more.

“Sleep well, angel wings. And call me as soon as you know!”

“Will do. Bye!” she whispered and ended the call.

 

Oliver dropped his head back onto the couch and exhaled deeply. What that woman did to him was beyond words. He never felt like that before and he sure had his fair share of vacation hook-ups in the past. But this? This was different. He never felt so over-protective of a woman before, never felt so head over heels for a woman so fast, and he especially never cared to see them again after the vacations, even if they tried to get in touch with him again. Everything about Felicity was so unlike him. Sure, she was absolutely beautiful and her physical features were the things that draw his attention first, there was no way to deny that. But the more he got to know of Felicity, the more she fascinated him.  
But he had to admit, though, that she was the first woman he met that didn’t know anything about Oliver Queen, Playboy Billionaire, Starling Archer QB, Party Boy. It was very… – refreshing for him not to be judged a way everybody in the Media saw him. Sure, most of the Headlines about him were true but he also realized how hard it was to find a woman he could start a serious relationship with. Women that didn’t want to be with him for media presence and money reasons were very rare to find and if he found one, she was most likely scared off as soon as she heard his last name.

 

A conversation with Tommy from earlier that week suddenly popped into his mind. Tommy asked how things with Felicity were going and Oliver told him about their daily calls and her well-going recovery. But then Tommy said something that bothered Oliver for a long time after the conversation ended.

 

_“Do you really want to be with Felicity?”  
Tommy's unexpected comment made Oliver look at his friend in confusion._

_“Of course I do! What are you talking about?”_

_“Well, sometimes it just seems you’re just very over-protective of her because she’s hurt and vulnerable right now. And I get it, Ollie, I really do. I would try and protect her as well if I weren’t with Laurel. But do you want to be with Felicity because of her, or do you think you want to be with her because you’re feeling the need of protecting her? Have you asked yourself yet?”_

_“Are you implying I’m taking advantage of her?” Oliver’s tone became louder and more serious and Tommy raised his hands to in defense._

_“Hey, I’m not implying anything. I’m just saying. I don’t think you’re taking advantage of her, I just want you to make sure you want to be with Felicity for the right reasons – not that there are any wrong reasons.” Tommy quickly added before Oliver could protest again. “Just figure out whether you want to be with her because she raises your protective instincts or if you really want to be with her because of your heart.”_

_Oliver exhaled loudly and plopped back into the seat, grabbing his Scotch, downing it in one gulp. Tommy had a point, Oliver had to admit that. Being protective like that of a woman was never something he cared for in the past, as ‘weak’ women never draw his attention. But with Felicity he also had to admit that he didn’t care for her injuries or the blindness. The casts would be gone soon and she seemed to still be able to handle herself very well, so that was just a temporary thing – so was the blindness according to the Doctors. And if Oliver was completely honest, he wouldn’t even mind if she’d never get her eyesight back._

_“Sure I’m protective of her. She can’t see and can barely walk on her own. You said it yourself; you would behave the same if you were in my position. I’m not with her for brotherly reasons or something, if that’s what you’re talking about.” Oliver said, never looking up from the Scotch glass that he rolled around in his palm._

_“Honestly… If everything is like you told me, this woman could be the real deal, buddy. Just… don’t mess that up.” Tommy said while getting up from his chair next to Oliver, patting his shoulder before making his way over to Laurel.  
_

 

Isabel was the first serious relationship Oliver had been in since Laurel in High School.  
When Laurel and him broke up and parted ways to different Universities, Oliver started partying and sleeping around, not caring for his reputation or what his parents expected from him. Then the Starling Archers showed interest in him and he moved back home and met Isabel. One of the Trainers suggested her to him as he still needed a Manager, so he got in touch with her.

What started out as a business corporation quickly turned into more. They started seeing each other privately and Oliver started to like the fierceness that surrounded her. Isabel was none to fool around; she stood her ground, even on 4 inch heels and still looked sexy and seductive all the time.  
Oliver’s family never approved of her though, especially Thea.

Thea flat out told him several times that she hated his girlfriend.  
“I have her saved under ‘bitch’ in my contacts so every time she calls me I can yell _“that bitch is calling again” and then reject the call.”_ Thea once told him while they were sitting in the living room in the Queen Mansion and waited for their mother to arrive.  
Moira tolerated Isabel when it came to family dinners but never cared to have a conversation with her.

 

The more Oliver thought about Isabel, the more he realized he couldn’t avoid her for much longer. It had been weeks since they parted ways and Oliver somehow successfully managed to avoid her until now. He dreaded to have that conversation with her, but they still needed to discuss some things that could affect both their future, no matter if he liked it or not. Plus, it bothered him as hell to have missed calls from her almost every day. Isabel was like an itch that you couldn’t scratch away and he was done scratching. It was finally time to get over with this topic, he knew that.

Mentally, he made a note to talk to Isabel as soon as he returned from visiting Felicity. Now was not the time to cloud his mind with negative thoughts or worries about ‘that talk’ with Isabel.

 

Oliver was woken up by the familiar buzzing sound of the phone on his nightstand. It was already sunny outside and he wondered how long the thoughts of Isabel and Felicity had kept him awake last night. It was never him to sleep that long.

When he checked the phone he saw Felicity’s face on the screen and had to smile instantly before he took the call.  
“Morning,” he whispered in his raspy, sleep ridden voice and a very giggly and excited Felicity answered. “Guessing from your excited tone I take it Caitlin approved of having me over at her house?”

“Yes yes yes!” she practically shrieked, “I can’t wait to have you around me again!”

Oliver had to smile and quickly got out of bed. “Alright, I’ll book a flight for as soon as possible. I just need to let Tommy know incase anything happens around here and then I’ll be on my way to the airport. Is it crazy when I say I’m excited? I feel like a teenager” he joked and Felicity admitted she felt the same way. 

“Okay, I’m going to book the flight and will let you know as soon as I’m heading to the airport.”  
Oliver quickly put on some sweatpants and a Shirt and patted into his office. Before they were ready to end the call, Oliver interrupted her. “Wait! … How long do you want me to stay?” he asked, a bit hesitant. They didn’t talk about how long he could visit her and if he wanted to book a return flight he would need to know.  
“Oh, uhh… I don’t know? How long **could** you stay?” 

“Well I need to be back at the Training Centre by Monday morning, so I could definitely stay until Sunday. If that’s okay with you and Caitlin?”

“Oh absolutely. I’m sure she won’t care if you’re staying 2 days or 4 – since I didn’t tell her anyway.” Felicity giggled.

“I should really book a Hotel room, just in case” Oliver threw in but Felicity interrupted him.

“Oh don’t be silly. It’s fine, I asked her. Now please book a flight and come over here quickly!” she hushed him and Oliver immediately started checking for flights to LA.

 

When he arrived at the airport 2 hours after they ended the call, he quickly checked in his luggage and took a seat in the waiting area before calling Felicity again.  
She immediately picked up and got crazy excited when she heard the noise of the airport in the background of his call.

“Hey angel wings! My plane will be boarding in a few minutes. I still need an address for your house, though. I’ll grab a cab at the airport then to get to you.”

“Oh sure, I’ll text it over in a minute. Can’t wait to see you soon!” she smiled and they ended the call when Oliver’s flight was announced.

 

Felicity still had a lot to manage before Oliver would arrive and with Caitlin out of the house she had to do everything on her own.  
Vacuum cleaning the guest room turned out to be a bad idea, though. Apparently there were vases placed in 2 corners of the room that Felicity couldn’t remember from before. Sadly one of them ended its life before she would have her eyesight back when she knocked it over with the vacuum cleaner and it shattered to a thousand pieces. Felicity hopped into the main room to grab a broom and clean up the mess as good as she could. Caitlin would be back home soon for her lunch break, so Felicity would have assistance in removing the glass.  
She pulled all of her luggage and bags into the guest room and freed the couch of her sheets.

When the radio station announced the time, she quickly made her way to the shower. There was still an appointment she needed to go to before Oliver arrived here and she didn’t want to have him waiting.

 

When Caitlin arrived back home, she quickly helped Felicity clean up the mess in the guest room and then drove her to her appointment in the hospital. Just when they were on their way back home, Felicity’s phone made a beeping sound. It was a voicemail from Oliver she apparently had received while she had muted her phone during the Doctor’s appointment.  
“Hey, I just landed. Need to wait for my luggage and then I’ll catch a cab. Miss you."

Felicity smiled at his excited voice and saved the message to her Mailbox, just in case she needed to hear his voice whenever she couldn’t reach him.  
“When will he arrive here?” Caitlin’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

“He just arrived at the airport. As soon as he has his luggage he’ll make his way here.” Felicity replied when both women left the car and entered the Apartment.

“Oh then it should only be 15 minutes. There’s not much traffic in the city right now, he should be through it quickly.” Caitlin smiled at her friend. “I can’t wait to meet him. I wonder if he is as I imagine him to be,” she giggled.

“How do you imagine him to be, then?” Felicity asked curiously. She wondered what Caitlin would think of Oliver and if he really was like Felicity always described him.

“Well since you pretty much only talk about his muscles and his broad chest I’d say he’s pretty well built. I just hope he is really as nice and charming as you describe him, but I doubt you would be with him if he’s a douchebag or asshole. Guess I have to wait a bit more and see for myself. I just hope he arrives in the next 10 minutes before my lunch break is over.” Caitlin grinned.

Felicity quickly ran into the guest room and changed into a fuchsia summer dress and put her hair into a high ponytail before she made her way downstairs to wait for Oliver in front of their house.  
She waited outside Caitlin’s apartment, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

Her cast had been replaced to a smaller, lighter one, and she was actually able to walk on her own with it. It still didn’t allow her to put on Heels or any shoes for that matter, but at least she didn’t have to use that damn wheelchair any more. She hadn’t told Oliver about the appointment yet and wanted to surprise him with it, but now she stood there in front of her Apartment building, anxiously waiting for the cab to arrive.

When she heard a car stop and two people getting out, her head shot around to make out any more sounds. A man closed the doors and drove off again before steps towards her became louder. She wasn’t used to being alone in the Streets or meeting people without the assistance of Caitlin or her Mom, so she didn’t know how to react. All her thoughts were thrown away when two strong arms wrapped around her and she heard that all familiar voice, paired with his amazing smell.  
“God, I missed you so much!” Oliver whispered into her hair when she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.

In that moment Felicity realized how much she really missed him in the last two weeks. Hearing his voice over the phone every day was nice, but nothing compared to the physical contact. Inhaling his scent and feeling his strong arms around her made her relax and forget all thoughts that crossed her mind.

On instinct, she looked up and wrapped her hand in his hair to pull him down for a kiss she missed so badly for the last two weeks. As soon as their lips met, Felicity could feel the tingle in her fingers again that she felt back in Marbella for the first time. Oliver grabbed her ass and pulled her up into his arms and Felicity eagerly locked her feet around his back. When he pulled back for air, he could see her face clearly for the first time and realized that the cut and bruise on her cheek was gone.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered while Felicity gently ran her nails over through the hair on his neck.

“I’ll never let you leave again.” she whispered into his chest while listening to his steady heartbeat.

When dark clouds started to fill the sky and a few first rain drops landed on them, Oliver sat her back down again.  
“As much as I would love to keep doing that, we should really get inside before it starts pouring.” Oliver smiled before gently kissing her forehead. He turned around and grabbed his bags when Felicity started making her way up the stairs into the Apartment building. When Oliver turned around to follow her, he froze on the spot at the sight in front of him.  
Felicity, confidently taking one step after the other up into the building in something that appeared to be a walking-cast.

 

When she didn’t hear him following her, Felicity turned around.  
“What’s wrong?”

“Your cast. When did that happen?” he asked, still confused and amazed by the blonde woman in the flowing dress and black walking cast in front of him. When she looked down, a wide grin crossed her face.

“Oh that? Got it a few hours ago while you were on the plane. It’s actually super comfy and I can finally walk around on my own.” She said, wiggling the leg around.   
“Do you miss carrying me around or what?” she grinned and Oliver had to laugh at that while he closed the distance between them and made his way up the stairs to follow her into the building.

“Just so you know,” he whispered into her ear while they walked side by side, “I could carry you around whenever I want to, no matter If you have a broken foot or not.” he grinned before hooking her hand into the crook of his arm so she wouldn’t trip.

“I’ll take you up on that.” Felicity just grinned at him.

 

They made their way upstairs and to Caitlin’s Apartment door. Felicity stopped in front of the door before she was ready to open it and gave Oliver a quick smile.  
“Ready?”

“As ready as I can be.” Oliver genuinely replied and Felicity turned the key and opened the door.

 

When they stepped inside, Felicity could hear sound coming from the kitchen, so she called for her best friend.  
“Cait! We’re back!”

Oliver took the moment to look around the apartment and take everything in. When he saw the couch in front of the large windows in the living room, he thought about all the nights Felicity and he spent on the phone, while she apparently lay on that couch. A smile appeared on his face at that thought. When he looked around he saw a brown haired woman enter the living room, a polite smile on her face – until she saw him.  
Oliver didn’t know her, of that he was sure. His memory for names was horrible, but he could recognize a face he had seen before in any crowd. But the look on that woman’s face told him that he clearly knew who she was about to meet – and panic started to flood Oliver for a second.

 

Felicity stood between Oliver and Caitlin, a broad smile on her face, looking at her friend’s direction when Caitlin came over to them.  
“Cait, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is Caitlin Snow.” Felicity proudly introduced the two and Oliver offered his hand with a smile. 

“Hi, I’m Oliver –“

Caitlin’s expression was completely blank, though, and instead of shaking his hand, she crossed her arms over her chest in a defensive gesture.  
“Queen, I know exactly who you are.” Caitlin spat out before Oliver could finish his sentence.

Felicity’s head shot around in surprise at Caitlin’s rude welcome. “Cait! Be nice!” she warned.

“I’m sorry.” Caitlin’s expression softened at Felicity’s warning and she took Oliver’s still outstretched hand, though she squeezed it with more force than necessary.

“Why don’t you have a seat, Oliver? I’m heading off to the bathroom quickly. Be nice, Caitlin!” Felicity waggled a finger in Caitlin’s direction with a warning tone before leaving thetwo of them alone in the living room.

 

Just when Felicity was out of sight, Caitlin turned to Oliver with a furious expression.  
“You don’t remember, do you? Well let me help you enlighten your rusty brain. Starling Archers vs. Anaheim Angels 2013, big win with 3 Interceptions and a huge After-Party…. a blonde cheerleader, a little too drunk for her age at a Party she shouldn’t be at 3am in the morning.” she spat at him, her arms furiously waving around in front of her.  
“Doesn’t ring a bell? No? Yeah I don’t expect you to remember, actually, but… newsflash! That drunk, blonde, underage girl you slept with that night… that was my little sister!” Caitlin glared at him, her eyes full of anger and disgust.  
“And let me tell you this, Mister,” she said, poking her finger into his chest, “I remember you pretty well and if you break any more hearts of the people I choose to surround myself with, I will unleash absolute hell on you and you have no idea what I’m capable of. You break Felicity’s heart, I break your neck. Simple as that.” she smiled at him when Felicity returned from the bathroom, keeping the evil glare firmly in her eyes.

 

Oliver stood in front of her, completely dumb-founded and unable to form or even think a coherent sentence. The worst thing that could happen actually happened. Felicity’s best friend (and his soon-to-be host for several nights) apparently knew very well who he was – and she didn’t approve of him one single bit. And even though he couldn’t remember a thing from the After-Party or the blonde girl Caitlin was talking about, it sounded a lot like something Playboy Oliver would have done.

When Felicity returned and stopped next to Caitlin, Caitlin quickly spoke up.  
“My lunch break is over, I need to head back to the office. Guess I see you guys later.” she spoke to Felicity, but kept her evil glare firmly in place on Oliver.

When Caitlin made her way to the door, Oliver quickly took a step forward to follow her.  
“I’ll just go and grab my bags.” he let Felicity know before following Caitlin out of the Apartment, shutting the door behind them.

Caitlin made her way through the hallway with quick steps and Oliver followed her.  
“Look, I know you must have a bad impression of me,” he grabbed Caitlin’s wrist to stop her when she turned around and quickly pulled her wrist out of his grip.

“I have just the right impression of you!” she glared at him, trying to keep her voice as moderate as possible so Felicity wouldn’t get suspicious.

Oliver gave it another try but took a step back in defense to show Caitlin he wasn’t interested in harming her.  
“I just want to ask you to give me a chance. I’m really sorry for what happened with your little sister, but I’m not like that anymore. I was a douche back then but you have to believe me that I’m serious with Felicity. And you’re her best friend… and I don’t want to mess it up with her.” he honestly told her before exhaling loudly. He wasn’t sure what else to say to her to make her believe him.

Without another word, Caitlin took a step back from him, turned around and started walking to the exit, her face completely blank from any expression.

 

Oliver didn’t know what to do. He hoped everything would go smoothly with Felicity’s best friend; that she could get to know him and maybe become friends with him. But this? This was like the worst thing that could have happened. He wanted to make it right with Felicity; he wanted to make it work. But with Felicity’s best friend obviously disapproving so strongly of him, he had no idea how to handle it. He rubbed his forehead with his palm to soothe the headache that started to form and quickly grabbed his bags. He was on his way back to the Apartment door when it suddenly opened and Felicity’s head peaked out.

“Everything alright? I heard you guys talking out there. I hope Caitlin wasn’t too bitchy. I don’t know what bugs her today.” she apologized and opened the door for him to enter the Apartment.  
Oliver stepped inside and followed Felicity to the guest room. Once he dropped the bags on the floor, he took a look around. The bed was still disassembled and everything was stacked in a corner. Felicity’s stuff was piled next to it and Oliver wondered if it was everything Felicity owned.

“You’re so silent suddenly,” Felicity said while she grabbed his Shirt and pulled him closer to her. “is everything alright?”

“Yeah, guess I’m just exhausted from the flight.” he replied, snuggling into her. “Let me guess, we need to put up the bed before we can sleep in it?”

“Oh, yeah… I tried to do it before you’d arrive here but I'm kind of… you know, temporarily unavailable to things like this.” she joked.

“Should we put it up now and then go grab some lunch somewhere? I haven’t eaten anything yet. What about you?”

“Lunch sounds perfect.” she hummed before loosening the grip on his shirt.

Oliver put up the bed in record time and changed into some lighter clothes before they made their way to Ventura Blvd to grab some lunch. When they exited the cab and walked the last steps to the Restaurant, Felicity took his hand in hers and held it tightly.  
“This is so different,” Oliver said, “you walking next to me. We haven’t done this before. I really like it.” he smiled and Felicity put her head on his shoulder. 

 

They ate at Felicity’s favorite Mexican Restaurant and spent almost 4 hours there, talking about everything they already talked about on the phone. Oliver didn’t mind, though. He enjoyed Felicity’s company so much, she even could have talked complete nonsense and he would still love to listen to her. Seeing her in her familiar surroundings for the first time, he just realized how confident Felicity actually was. She knew Caitlin’s Apartment, didn’t need to feel around and generally behaved very confident around him, as well. Oliver enjoyed it, though it still felt weird compared to the vulnerable side he got to know of her in Marbella. The side of Felicity that made him get addicted to her very much. But the more he watched Felicity acting like the confident person she seems to be, the more he realized he actually preferred that side of her – and he couldn’t wait to get to know more of it.

They left the Restaurant around 6 in the evening and Felicity suggested walking back home instead of taking the cab. She so much enjoyed being able to walk on her own two feet again that she was eager to finally walk around for a bit. Oliver always kept her arm hooked around her waist, pulling her close to him, while they made their way back home slowly.

“I think Caitlin doesn’t like me,” he mumbled after a few minutes of silence.

“What makes you think that? Trust me; she was just having a bad day. It’s not like her to be that grumpy. We’ll sit on the couch later, talk a bit, have a glass of wine, and you’ll see… Caitlin is super nice.” she assured him, gently patting his arm.  
Oliver inhaled deeply and tried to hide a frown. Maybe Felicity was right, maybe they all just needed to sit together and have a conversation. That way Caitlin could see that Oliver really was serious when it came to Felicity. 

Just when they arrived at their Apartment building, Felicity’s phone started ringing.  
“Hey Fe, just wanted to let you know that it’s going to be late tonight. Ronnie asked me out for Dinner tonight and I’ll leave right from the office. You don’t have to wait for me. Have a nice evening.” Caitlin told her in a calm tone.

“Okay, but we’ll have Dinner tomorrow night at your place! No discussion!” Felicity warned her with a smile on the face and Caitlin reluctantly agreed. When they ended the call, Felicity turned to Oliver and gently placed her hand on his heart before she looked up at him.

“So… it seems tonight it will be just you and me,” she looked up at him seductively before she spoke again. “Caitlin has a Dinner Date and I know for a fact that it will be late because she’s out with Ronnie. And every time she goes out with Ronnie, she comes home super late at night…” she grinned at him.

“Why Miss Smoak, are you implying something?” he asked her with a raspy, low voice.

“Well maybe I do.” she whispered to him in a seductive tone before turning around to open the door to the Apartment building.

 

They spent the evening on the couch in Caitlin’s living room. Oliver got a grand tour of the Apartment when they returned, including a small spot that Felicity offered him in the bathroom for his stuff. When Oliver spotted the wine rack and asked Felicity about it, they opened one of the bottles and settled on the couch and talked about Felicity’s time in Vegas as a kid.  
When the wine started to kick in and Felicity let out a yawn they agreed to call it a day and go to bed.

 

As soon as they settled in bed together, Oliver pulled the sheets over them and pulled Felicity in a tight embrace. When Oliver tipped her head up and removed her sunglasses, Felicity smiled at him. She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss that quickly turned into a heated make out session. Things started to get a little more passionate and Oliver started kissing her neck leaving love bites here and there.  
In one quick movement he turned Felicity on her back and hovered above her before he started to lift her sleep shirt above her head.

“Oliver…” she started with a hesitant voice.

“Mmmm?” he said fiddling with the straps of her bra.

“We can’t…” she told him, a blush covering her entire face while she tried to hide it under the blanket.

Oliver stopped his movements immediately and studied her for a moment. “Is everything alright?” he asked her.

“Yeah it’s just… uhm… I'm currently unavailable... down there,” she blurted out before hiding her face under the sheets again.

Oliver’s eyebrows shot up and his expression relaxed immediately when he realized what she meant.  
“Oh! I’m sorry beautiful! You should’ve just said something,” he said helping her get her shirt back on. “It’s best if we just continue kissing, yeah?” he said cheekily.

“Well if I remember correctly I still owe you a favor from that night in Marbella.” she waggled her eyebrows at him and Oliver’s eyes immediately darkened a few shades. When Felicity turned around and pressed his shoulder to lie down on the mattress, Oliver stopped her movements.  
“Felicity, you don’t have to do that – “

“I want to,” she smiled at him. “Or don’t you want me to?”  
Oliver just growled at that and Felicity could feel his arousal become very evident when she ran her hand over his boxer briefs. Her nails scratched over the fabric lightly and Oliver couldn’t contain a moan when his head dropped back on the pillow.

“Let me take care of you tonight.” Felicity smiled and peppered his stomach with wet kisses. When she kneeled between his legs and hooked her fingers under the waistband of his boxers, Oliver slowly lifted his hips and helped her get rid of the garment.

When Felicity raked her fingernails over his impressive length once more, Oliver hissed in a breath. “Don’t tease me, Felicity. I’m trying to be a good guy here.” he practically whined.

“Oh I’m sure you’re going to be very good.” Smiling, she looked up at him and kissed her way down his stomach over his hip. When she grabbed his cock and started spreading the moisture that gathered on his tip, Oliver couldn’t keep his hands away from her any more. He started stroking her hair gently while his other hand relaxed behind his head on the pillow.

Oliver’s sounds were enough indication of the pleasure Felicity brought him as she slowly started stroking his cock. She ran her thumb over the tip again and slid it down his shaft and he squirmed and moaned softly. When she wrapped her hand around him and started stroking him slowly, Oliver’s moans and sighs grew louder. When she ran her fingernails over his balls slightly, Oliver gasped and squirmed under her before she ran the tip of her tongue over the head of his cock, slowly circling it. He bucked, startling her and Felicity looked up at his face.  
All reservations that Oliver may have had were thrown out the window at that moment.  
“Don’t stop,” he begged. “Please, Felicity.”

Felicity just gave him a seductive grin. Hearing and feeling him so desperate for release was exciting as hell. She licked the length of his cock, wetting it with her saliva so she would be able to stroke him more easily while she sucked him.  
When Oliver thrust his hips upward impatiently, Felicity took the hint and slid her mouth over his head and ran her tongue around the ridge, making Oliver moan loudly.  
For several minutes, Felicity focused on the rhythm of sucking and licking while she tightened and loosened her fingers on his shaft or gently scratched his balls with her fingernails.

Tasting a drop of precum she smiled, knowing he was close.  
“Fuck, I’m going to come, Felicity!” he moaned when his grip on her hair tightened and Felicity could feel his stomach muscles flex.

At his warning, she sped up her rhythm.  
It was the last step to throw him over the edge. Oliver came with a shout that he was sure even Caitlin’s neighbors would have heard. Bucking into her mouth, Felicity triumphantly swallowed each burst of fluid until Oliver fell back onto the mattress and exhaled loudly. When she grinned and licked the tip of his cock again, Oliver shuddered.

“God, no more please! You’re going to fucking kill me.” he growled before he got up, hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her up to lay beside him. Felicity giggled and Oliver gently stroked loose strands of hair out of her face.

“I guess I don’t have to ask if you liked that.” she smirked and Oliver just moaned into her hair lightly before peppering it with kisses.  
When Felicity started caressing his chest with her fingertips and slightly grazed his nipple in the process, Oliver hissed out again. Feeling smug, she pinched it slightly before Oliver stopped her hand and turned her on her back in one quick movement, hovering above her.

“As soon as _THIS_ is over,” he whispered into her hair while his hand slowly made its way down her stomach over the waistband of her sleep shorts, stroking her through the thin fabric,” I’m going to make you scream my name at least 3 times, just with my tongue and my fingers.” he whispered into her ear in a low, growly tone that made Felicity become even wetter. When she felt his thumb stroking her clit through the fabric of her pants, she started writhing under him, but Oliver kept her firmly in place.

“Oliver, please” she whined and arched her back, trying to push her hip deeper into his hand.”

“What do you want?” he whispered when he nipped her earlobe and her neck, grazing it with his teeth before he bit down on her pulse point.

“Please…” she begged but Oliver teased he. He wanted to hear her say it.

“Please what?” he asked and stopped the movements of his hand on her sex. “Want me to stop?” he smirked.

“Please… make me come.” she begged and Oliver quickly shut her up with a kiss when his fingers started stroking her through the fabric of her already soaked pants again. Felicity hooked her right leg around his hips and spread her hips a bit more in the process, giving Oliver better access, earning a growl from him. Felicity could feel him hardening again and slowly moved her hand down his torso so she could stroke him. As soon as she wrapped her hand around his hardened cock again, Oliver growled, inhaling deeply.  
“Fe-li-ci-ty,” he warned her.

“What?” she teased. “It’s only fair. Besides, I don’t want to sleep with **that** between us.” She smirked and slowly started pumping his length up and down. Oliver pressed his palm firmly on her apex and started rubbing her clit with his thumb again while he sucked on that sweet spot on her neck that made Felicity melt under him. When her moans became louder and her hips started bucking up into his hand, Felicity started stroking him harder.

“If we’re both not coming soon I’m going to fuck you no matter what.” he growled at her and started drawing circles on her clit with his thumb. When he pressed down hard, Felicity broke in climax with a loud moan. She kept stroking him hard until Oliver came a second time that night, messing up her sleep shorts in the process.

 

It took Felicity several minutes to even out her breathing and get her limbs under control again. Oliver plopped onto the bed next to her, unable to move any muscle.  
“You’re going to be the death of me.” he mumbled with a smile on his lips.

“But you love it.” Felicity replied smugly. “I’m going to change into some clean shorts quickly. Don’t go anywhere!” she grinned at him before she hopped out of bed and quickly made her way into the bathroom.

“Yeah, it’s not that I could move a muscle right now, anyway…” Oliver mumbled and took a deep breath. Even though the evening didn’t go as planned (he really wanted to sleep with Felicity, there was no way to deny that), he wasn’t complaining at all – besides the encounter with her best friend Caitlin. He really needed to do something about that, but right now, he was just relaxed and well spent and waited for Felicity to return from the bathroom so they both could get a decent amount of sleep.

When Felicity returned from the bathroom he could see her wearing new sleep shorts and a different tank top, holding a warm washcloth in hand.  
“Just in case you’d need it” she grinned before throwing it in his direction – or at least where she assumed Oliver would lay. When the washcloth hit the nightstand and kicked over one of the lamps, Felicity’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Ooops.”  
Oliver burst out laughing. The washcloth slid down the wall and landed next to the night lamp on the ground.

“I should have known, I’m terrible at aiming even when I still had my eyesight. Actually, the more that I think of it, I’m surprised I didn’t kill you!” she laughed when she hopped into bed next to him. Oliver threw the washcloth into the laundry basket on the other side of the room and put the night lamp back in place before he snuggled into Felicity and peppered her head with kisses.

“You’re absolutely beautiful, have I told you that lately?” he mumbled into her hair.  
“Not recently, no.” she smiled and pressed her face deeper into his chest, letting his steady heartbeat lull her into sleep. Oliver drifted off shortly after her.

 

It was two hours later that the sound of a door closing and someone moving around the living room woke Oliver up. He listened closely to make out any sounds, even though he believed it was only Caitlin. A quick look at his phone told him that it was after 1am already. When he slowly got up out of bed and gave Felicity a quick kiss, he put on some sweatpants and a T-Shirt before he made his way to the door. Before he opened it, Oliver quickly looked back to the bed where Felicity lay fast asleep, her hand firmly tucked under the pillow. Oliver couldn’t do anything but smile at the sight in front of him. He was happy. Things were going great with Felicity and he was glad about it. There was just that thing with his best friend that needed to be fixed. Which was why Oliver slowly opened the door and peeked out into the hallway of Caitlin’s Apartment. When he saw her leaving the kitchen with a glass of red wine, making a beeline for the couch, Oliver silently stepped out of the guest room and closed the door behind him to not wake Felicity up. He didn’t know when he would have another chance to talk to Caitlin alone, so he needed to give it a try now.

When he arrived in the living room, he stopped and waited for Caitlin to notice him and turn around. She didn’t, so Oliver spoke up.  
“Hey.”

Oliver’s voice made Caitlin jump from the couch, almost spilling her wine on the carpet. When she realized it was Oliver, she plopped back on the couch with an annoyed huff.

“Just got back?”

“Mhm.” Caitlin mumbled while sipping on her drink before she started zapping through the TV channels. When nothing interesting popped up, she turned the TV down again. Oliver slowly made his way to the couch but stopped a few feet from it, hesitantly.

“Can we talk?” he asked nervously and Caitlin just eyed him over her wine glass before she exhaled loudly and waved her hand for him to sit on the couch. When Oliver took a seat opposite of her, Caitlin got a good look at him for the first time that night.   
“Can’t sleep?” she asked in a very uninterested tone.

“Yeah, but it’s not the bed. It’s very comfy, actually. I just heard you coming back. Guess I’m not used to sounds in the house at night.” Oliver tried to sound as casual as possible, even though his palms were sweaty and his mind was racing. If he messed that up now, he wasn’t sure if there would be another chance to talk to Caitlin.  
Caitlin got up from the couch and waved her empty glass in his direction.

“Want one as well?” she asked him before patting into the kitchen.

“No thank you. Unless you have Scotch or something?” he asked her.

“Left drawer, bottom shelf. There should some glasses as well.” she gestured to the cabinet behind the couch and Oliver quickly started looking for the bottle. When he poured himself a drink, Caitlin got back to the couch and took a seat, her refilled wine glass firmly in hand.

“So…?” she started after taking a sip of her wine and putting it on the table in front of her.

Oliver rubbed his palm on his sweatpants and downed the Whisky in one gulp before he set the glass on the table and poured himself another drink. He took a deep breath and looked up to see Caitlin watching him.  
“I think you got a very bad first impression of me.” he started, trying not to sound as nervous as he actually was.

“Well, that’s one way to put it.” Caitlin huffed a laugh and cocked her eyebrow slightly.

Oliver leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Look, I don’t want to talk you into liking me or something. The thing is, you’re Felicity’s best friend. And I really care for her.” Caitlin laughed ironically at that.  
“I really do. I may not have been like that a few years back and I totally understand that you may have reservations about me – “

“Reservations?” Caitlin’s eyebrows shot up while Oliver spoke.

“I’m not having reservations - I just don’t like you.” She flat out told him.  
“I don’t like what you did to my sister and I sure don’t want Felicity to end up the same way. I’m sure you’ll understand my point.” she crossed her arms and leaned back into the couch while she spoke. Oliver was already starting to become desperate. He never had to have such a conversation before and didn’t know what to say to make Felicity’s best friend believe in his honest motives when it came to her.

“I totally get that. And I’m sorry what I did to your sister, I truly am. But this has been years ago. I was reckless and didn’t care about anything back then. But I’m not like that anymore, I swear. Especially not with Felicity. She told me a bit about her last relationship in Marbella and I would never hurt her. I would have never agreed to visit her in the first place if she was just a vacation-hookup or weekend-only thing for me. But this woman?” he said while he gestured to the guest room door with his thumb, “I’m slowly falling in love with her and I know we can’t make it work if her best friend doesn’t approve of me.”  
Oliver sighed deeply, sinking back into the chair. His honesty surprised himselfbut it was the truth. He was already falling in love with Felicity. And speaking it out loud actually made him realize that for the first time.

Caitlin carefully watched him all the time, keeping her face free of any emotion. After a while she rolled her eyes and took the wine glass from the table in front of her.  
“Ahh, whatever. I guess everyone deserves a second chance.” she shrugged with a slight smile before moving her wine glass in Oliver’s direction, gesturing for him to pick his Whisky tumbler up and clink glasses with her. It took Oliver a few seconds to process what Caitlin just told him before he quickly grabbed his glass from the table and moved it in her direction. 

 

“To a fresh new start.” he said and gave Caitlin an honest smile.

“Hopefully a better one like the last time.” she joked and clinked her glass with Oliver’s with what seemed to be an honest smile on her face.

 

“Uhm…”  
A voice startled them both. Caitlin and Oliver turned their heads around to the hallway where the sudden voice came from.  
Felicity stood there, arms crossed in front of her, a clearly confused look on her face.  
“What is going on here?”


	11. new friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's always sunny in LA - well, mostly. Oliver and Caitlin trying to work out some conflicts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for all the lovely Comments and Kudos! You warm my heart! :)  
> Oh, and gigigirl31 - I ♥ you!

Oliver quickly got up from the Couch, making his way to Felicity. When she didn’t move a muscle, he tried taking her hand in his but Felicity pulled back immediately.  
“What were you guys talking about?”

 

Oliver looked at Caitlin who also got up from the couch after putting her wine glass down. Oliver didn’t know what to say and guessing from the look on Caitlin’s face, she didn’t know either. When he took a deep breath, he tried taking Felicity’s hand in his once more while he spoke to her.

“Why don’t you sit down with us and I’ll explain everything?” Oliver tried to sound as calm as possible even though his mind was racing at that moment.  
Felicity took a few steps forward and followed Oliver to the couch before she took a seat next to Caitlin.  
“So, what were you guys talking about? You two know each other already, don’t you?”

Caitlin remained silent but Oliver quickly replied.  
“Yes. - I mean, no! Not personally. Apparently I ‘met’ Caitlin’s little sister a few years ago after a game that we won against the Anaheim Angels.”

“Wait, you know Becky?” Felicity raised her hand and stopped him in surprise. 

“Yeah well that’s one way to put it.” Caitlin laughed into her wine glass before taking a sip. Felicity’s head shot around at her statement but she didn’t ask for an explanation from her best friend.

Oliver rubbed his palms on his sweatpants and inhaled deeply. He didn’t know how to say what happened as casually as possible so Felicity wouldn’t get mad with him.  
“He slept with Becky at that Party after he boozed her up and then dumped her!” Caitlin blurted out and both Felicity and Oliver turned their heads to look at her in surprise. Well, Oliver looked more shocked than surprised, but part of him was happy that the truth was out now, even if this wasn’t actually the way he would have said it.

Felicity looked between Caitlin and Oliver several times with raised eyebrows before she burst out laughing.

Caitlin and Oliver shared a very confused look when Felicity fell backwards on the couch and held her stomach while she kept on laughing. Tears started pricking at the corner of her eyes and she just couldn’t stop herself.  
It took her several more minutes to calm down. From her left, Oliver handed her a tissue to dry her tears and from her right, Caitlin shoved her glass of wine into Felicity’s hand so she could take a sip.  
After she emptied the glass in two long gulps, she put it back on the table and wiped her mouth with her palm.

She sat back up, cleared her throat and looked straight ahead.  
“So let me get this straight… you –“ pointing at Oliver while she spoke, “met Caitlin’s sister after that game, filled her up – _literally_ “ she giggled at her innuendo, “slept with her and left like the true gentleman you were back then?” she joked and Oliver didn’t know how to answer properly, so he just nodded, not registering that Felicity couldn’t see him.

“Yeah well, he didn’t just sleep with her, he deflowered Becky that night.” Caitlin added nonchalantly while patting Felicity’s shoulder when she got up from the couch to grab the wine bottle from the kitchen counter.

Oliver’s head shot up in pure shock and his face went completely pale.  
“I didn’t know that!”

“Yeah, I already guessed that.” Caitlin cocked an eyebrow at him and Oliver exhaled deeply through the nose while he rubbed his eyes with his palms.

“Hey, it’s okay. Like we said… fresh start. Just stay away from my sister as far as you can, please.” Caitlin added with a grin before she emptied the bottle into her glass.

 

Felicity sat between the two, taking in the conversation between her best friend and the man she slowly fell for since Marbella. After she processed everything that had been said, she turned her attention to Caitlin again.  
“Was that why you’ve been so bitchy this morning when Oliver arrived? You recognized him!”

“I wasn’t bitchy,” Caitlin pouted. “Maybe a bit moody, but that’s it. Of all people that you could meet on a vacation in Europe you have to bring home that one guy that has messed with my family already in the past. No offense.” she laughed and waved a hand in Oliver’s direction.

“None taken” he replied casually.

“I’m not going to apologize for meeting him.” Felicity mocked but couldn’t contain a grin that spread on her face. Caitlin bumped her shoulder at that.

 

“So… if everything’s said and done for tonight, I would very much like to call it a day and go to bed now. I need to get up early tomorrow. There are still some people in this house who actually have a normal daytime job.” Caitlin grinned at Felicity while she got up from the couch, making a beeline for the bathroom.

Felicity stood up as well, holding her hand out for Oliver. When he got up, he gently wrapped his arms around her from behind.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. It was messing with my head and I really wanted to talk to Caitlin before I was going to tell you.” he said honestly when Felicity leaned back into his chest.

“Don’t worry so much about it. It’s okay. I was just confused when I woke up and you weren’t lying next to me. And the next thing I hear is Caitlin and you talking in the living room about a fresh new start. It confused me for a minute, that’s all.” she smiled and patted his arm.

What do you think, should we get back to bed as well?” Felicity smiled up at him and put her cheek on his chest while looking up at his face. “I have a Doctor’s appointment tomorrow and don’t want us to be late or arrive there with raccoon eyes.” she smiled.

“Wait, you want me to come with you to your appointment?” Oliver looked down at her in surprise.

“Sure! I mean… it’s not that I have an appointment with my OB/GYN that would make it weird if I’d take you with me, so… I actually hoped you would accompany me as Caitlin has a business meeting tomorrow and can’t go with me.” she shrugged and smiled at him.

Oliver turned her around and suddenly grabbed her ass to lift her up into his arms, hooking her legs securely around his back.  
“I would love to go with you tomorrow.” he whispered before kissing her gently. “And now let’s get to bed again. We both need the sleep.” he smiled at her before he started making his way to the guest room.

 

When they woke up the next morning, Caitlin was already off for work. Felicity was the first to wake up, again thanks to the snoring sound of the well-built man next to her. She got out of bed and hopped under the shower, taking off the walking cast for the first time since she received it the day before. The doctors told her to keep it on at all times and only to remove it for showering, even though she wasn’t allowed to put any weight on the foot at all.  
Felicity tried out a few different positions to rest the foot while showering, but in the end she opted for the sitting position in the tub. That way she could keep the cast on her hand out of the tub as well. As soon as she turned on the water and let it drop on her leg for the first time in weeks, she hummed slightly at the feeling.

When she grabbed her shampoo and started washing her hair with one hand, the bathroom door opened and Felicity’s head shot around in surprise.  
“Need a little help?” Oliver asked with a smirk in his raspy morning voice that Felicity grew to like so much.  
“That would be awesome,” she smiled at him until she realized that Oliver actually saw her bare naked, sitting in the tub of her best friend. When a blush spread over her face, Oliver kneeled down next to the tub, taking the shampoo from her hand and gently started massaging her scalp with it.

 

After another heated make-out session they got out of the bathroom and made themselves ready for the day. Oliver walked to the kitchen, trying to find coffee mugs while Felicity put her walking cast back on and got dressed in a flowy multicolored sundress.  
When she emerged from the guest room, the smell of fresh brewed coffee entered her nose. 

“Please tell me there’s a fresh coffee waiting on the kitchen counter for me.” Felicity hummed when she made her way through the hallway to the kitchen. When Oliver handed her a mug she took a sip and moaned lightly. “The best way to start the day.” she smiled before she took a seat on the kitchen counter. Oliver took a seat opposite of her and just watched her smiling at him behind her sunglasses while sipping on her coffee. When he read the text on her coffee mug while she took another sip, he couldn’t contain a laugh.

 

Felicity’s face shot up at Oliver’s sudden laugh.  
“What is it?” she asked him with furrowed brows.

“Your mug.” he chuckled.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked, putting it back down on the table, giving Oliver a confused look.

“Nothing’s wrong,” he chuckled. “But it says **‘Queen for a day’** with a little crown on it.”

Felicity looked down at the mug, even though she wasn’t able to see it, looked up at Oliver again and burst out laughing. “You picked that on purpose, don’t you?” she accused him and Oliver raised both his hands in defense.

“I absolutely didn’t. I just picked the first two mugs that I could find… but I have to admit, it fits you.” he grinned.

“Felicity Queen…” she hummed while tipping her chin with her finger, “I could work with that.” she joked before another grin spread across her face.

 

Oliver studied the woman in front of him for a moment and tried to process what they were joking about. Were they joking? Sure they were right now, but the more Oliver thought about it, the more the idea cemented into his brain. Oliver never thought about marriage before, or having children, or an own family, for that matter. But the more he looked at the beautiful, carefree, intelligent person in front of him, the more he could see himself in the role as husband and father, even after just a few weeks of dating her.

Felicity kept talking about having _‘Queen’_ as a last name and joked about drawing little crowns everywhere she had to sign something while she wildly gestured around with her hands, keeping her bright smile firmly in place.  
Oliver could just look at her, so deep in thoughts, unable to listen to her babbling.

He wondered if his mother approve of her? Or Thea? Obviously Moira and Robert had to approve of her, even though Oliver didn’t care much for it, but with Queen Consolidated and his shares in the Company it would only mean trouble if Moira or Robert disapproved of his future wife.  
“Future wife” he mumbled to himself when Felicity suddenly stopped talking.

“What?”

“Hm?” Oliver asked, afraid that she might have heard him.

“You were mumbling something”

“Oh, I was just going to say that you are more than just a Queen for one day to me.” he smiled while he reached over the kitchen counter to gently squeeze her hand and Felicity gave him an honest, bright smile.

 

“We still need to discuss the Dinner for tonight.” Felicity said after a few minutes of silence. “Can you cook?” she asked him.

“No, but I’m sure I can burn your friend’s kitchen to the ground in the process. Or kill us all from food poisoning.” he joked and Felicity had to giggle.

“Yeah well I’m kind of unavailable to cooking right now, so I think we need to settle for take-out food tonight. Any preferences?” she asked him and Oliver shook his head.  
“No, I’m fine with whatever Caitlin and you are fine with. We could order after we got back from your appointment?” he offered and Felicity jerked up from the chair in surprise.

“Oh god, the appointment! Oliver please check the note on the fridge. What time do I have to be there?” she impatiently waggled a finger in the direction of the fridge. Oliver quickly turned around and checked the note that Caitlin sticked to the fridge door before checking his watch.

“We have to be there in 40 minutes.”

Felicity sighed and plopped back into the kitchen chair before she started searching for the handle of her coffee mug again. When she took another sip, Oliver spoke up.  
“What kind of appointment is it anyways?” he asked her curiously. “I mean you just told me that it’s not your OB/GYN, which I had no problem accompanying you to as well, by the way,” he laughed at her and Felicity just cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I’m getting the cast on my hand removed today – hopefully.” Felicity grinned while waggling the cast in his direction.

“Oh that is awesome, but isn’t it a little too soon?” he asked her while putting his empty coffee mug down into the sink.

“They’ll replace the cast with a lighter bandage wrap. Either way I’m just glad to finally get rid of this itchy thing.” he shrugged. 

 

Oliver called a cab and they made their way to the Doctor just in time. Oliver wasn’t sure if he was allowed to follow her into the treatment room, but Felicity never let go of his hand, so he silently followed her inside and took a seat in the corner. The doctor arrived and greeted Felicity with a pat on the shoulder before he offered a hand to Oliver with a smile.

“So, Miss Smoak…” he started while putting on two gloves and looking for the scissors to cut the cast, “how are you feeling? Any problems or pain with the walking cast?”

“That thing is perfect!” she practically raved with a bright smile.

“I never knew one could miss walking around so much. Though I have to admit,” she said when she turned to look in Oliver’s direction with a grin,” being carried around is pretty nice, too.”  
The Doctor laughed when he heard Felicity speak and watched the two look at each other.

“I see.” he smiled when he gently grabbed Felicity’s arm and placed it on the table in front of her.

“Please don’t move your hand now. I’ll cut open the cast and then we’ll do another x-ray to see if the bones have healed well.” the Doctor explained to her and Felicity listened closely.

 

Once the cast had been removed, Felicity could feel the cool air touching her skin in that area for the first time in a long time. It gave her chills but she also enjoyed being freed from the itchy, heavy thing. When the Doctor returned with the x-rays and put them on the light bars to have a look at them, Oliver got up and joined him.  
Felicity just stared into her lap, trying to get back a feeling for her fingers when the Doctor turned his attention to her again.  
“Everything looks fine so far. We’ll wrap the wrist in a lighter and softer bandage now for another 3 weeks. The bandage allows you to move your wrist and fingers to a certain amount which I encourage you to do, but please don’t put any weight on your hand until the wrap comes off. That means no carrying around of heavy handbags, saucepots, shopping bags, and so on.”  
He turned his attention to Oliver while speaking to Felicity, “besides, you seem to have a partner who likes to carry you around, so I’m sure he could handle a few bags as well.” Felicity chuckled while the Doctor started wrapping her hand in an elastic compression tape.

“If everything goes well, we’ll see each other in 3 weeks to remove the wrap and you should be all set then.” The Doctor smiled when he got up and said his goodbyes to Felicity and Oliver.

Felicity got up and immediately wanted to grab for her handbag when Oliver beat her to it.  
“You know what the Doctor told you.” he warned with a grin before he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

 

They left the building together and headed for the Boulevard to order food for the evening. When they stopped for a Coffee at a little Shop around the corner, Felicity gave Oliver her order and he went to the counter.  
Felicity took a seat in a booth and fumbled around with the fingers on her left hand until Oliver came back. She still needed to get a feeling again for her fingers but moving them around really helped her.

Oliver returned with two cups in his hand and took a seat opposite of Felicity. She smiled at him and grabbed the hot liquid.   
“Today is a good day,” she hummed when she took a sip of her coffee. “You are here with me, my cast got removed, we’re drinking coffee like a normal couple – “  
Oliver’s eyes shot up at her and he realized what Felicity just said before she did.

“I, uh…” she raised her hand in a defensive gesture, “didn’t mean it like THAT…” she stuttered and Oliver gently grabbed her hand with a smile.

“Felicity, it’s okay.” he smiled and leaned over the table to give her a sweet kiss on the lips.

“I love being a normal couple with you.” he whispered before kissing her again. And again. Felicity didn’t protest, she gently moved her hand around his neck and deepened the kiss. He tasted like coffee and honey and Felicity couldn’t get enough of it. When Oliver pulled back for air, she blushed slightly.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he smiled at her and Felicity immediately held out her hand for him to take. They made their way back to Caitlin’s apartment in record time, stumbled into the living room and fell onto the couch.

When Oliver straddled her, Felicity propped the walking cast over the back of the couch and wrapped her other leg firmly around Oliver’s back. Oliver groaned when she pulled him closer to her and started kissing her neck. Felicity inhaled deeply, enjoying the feeling of Oliver’s tongue and lips on her neck and collarbone. When she slipped her hand under his shirt and started scratching him lightly with her nails, Oliver groaned again.

“When will Caitlin be back?” he mumbled before he pulled a strap of her shirt down her arm and kissed the exposed skin.  
“At 5. What time is it?” Felicity asked, slightly out of breath.

“Oliver grabbed his phone out of his pocked and checked for the time. “4.45” he sighed and slid the phone into his back pocket again.

“Why Mister Queen, I think we need to re-schedule.” Felicity giggled under him and Oliver reluctantly got up off her.

 

An hour after Caitlin arrived back from work, the food had been delivered. Oliver and Felicity had prepared the table on the small balcony and fitted 3 chairs in the small area. There wasn’t much space, but the place looked certainly welcoming and comfy. Oliver lit some candles and placed them in the flower boxes on the parapet. Felicity opened the bottle of wine that they brought home from their shopping trip and put it aside. Caitlin took the time to take a relaxing bath and hop into some comfy sweatpants. When she got outside on the balcony, she looked slightly amazed at the sight in front of her.

“Is this going to be some weird kind of Candlelight Dinner for 3?” she asked and turned her attention to Oliver and Felicity who stood in the corner of the balcony, snuggling against each other while they waited for Caitlin to arrive.

“No, this is just a nice evening with friends, food and wine.” Felicity smiled and for the first time, Caitlin could see Felicity’s freshly bandage wrapped wrist.

“Oh your wrist!” she smiled and took ahold of Felicity’s hand, gently stroking her fingers, “did everything go well today?”

“Yes,” Felicity smiled. “The Doctor was very happy with the healing progress and said in another 3 weeks I should be as good as new again.”

“That is awesome, Fee! How’s the walking cast, by the way?”

“This thing is god-send! Ask Oliver, we even walked from back from the Doctor’s appointment today!”  
Caitlin gave Oliver a warning look before turning her attention to Felicity again. “You shouldn’t be walking so much with it the same day you get it. I’m sure that’s not good.” she warned her.

“Cait, it’s called ‘walking cast’ for a reason and I am done sitting in that damn wheelchair all the time. And you’ve heard it – the Doctor said as long as I don’t feel any pain in my foot, I can walk with it. And I’m fine.” She raised her hand in assurance in Caitlin’s direction, before she could voice any more concern.  
“Now, could we please sit down and eat? I’m starving!” she smiled and took a seat next to Oliver.

 

They ate and downed 3 bottles of wine, sharing stories about Felicity’s and Caitlin’s childhood with Oliver, who himself shared some embarrassing High School and College stories of his own in return. They were laughing the entire evening and when Felicity excused herself to the bathroom, Caitlin looked at Oliver after taking a sip of her wine.  
“Guess I was wrong the other day,” she said and Oliver looked at her questioningly. “I was sure you were going to break Felicity’s heart just like you broke my little sisters’. Seems I was wrong. You’re doing good to her. I didn’t expect that.” She honestly told him.

“I’m doing my best.” Oliver smiled at her. "And I'm really sorry about your sister."

“Sorry I yelled at you and finger-poked you yesterday.” Caitlin giggled at him and Oliver couldn’t contain a small laugh.

“Oh it’s okay. I’ve been threatened worse.” They both laughed when Felicity returned from the bathroom.

 

They spent the entire evening outside on the balcony. At some point, Oliver went inside to grab two blankets from the couch and wrapped both women in them, snuggling into Felicity in the process.

It was almost 1am when the candles were burned down and darkness slowly covered the balcony. They decided to call it a day and head to bed.  
“Breakfast on me tomorrow? I don’t need to be in the office before 1pm, so we’ll have plenty of time for a nice breakfast together.” Caitlin offered and both Oliver and Felicity gladly accepted.

 

When Oliver snuggled into the bed next to Felicity, she sighed happily.  
“Today had been a great day,” she smiled. “I haven’t felt that happy in a long time. Normal almost.”

Oliver looked up at her in confusion. “Felicity, there’s nothing un-normal about you. You are probably the most normal person I have in my life right now.” he smiled at her and gently cupped her cheek before he settled back into the pillow, pulling her tightly to him.

“You are amazing, Oliver, have I told you that lately?” she said with a smile and Oliver gently kissed her hair. “No, you haven’t, “ he smiled, “but I like to hear it. It sounds great.”

After a few seconds of silence, Felicity snuggled deeper into her pillow and wrapped her hand under it, leaving a sigh.  
“Felicity, I can hear you thinking. What’s wrong?” he asked her, gently kissing her hair.

It took Felicity a few seconds to reply. She was amazed that Oliver was so attentive and could read her like that. Or maybe she was just very obvious.  
“I’m scared,” she whispered after a few seconds, barely audible even for her own ears. His head shot up at that, unsure if her heard her right.

“About what?” he asked, gently patting her hair.

Felicity took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if she should tell him. Too afraid she might scare him away with her confession, she just shook her head and buried it deeper in the pillow.  
Oliver gently grabbed her chin and turned her head so he could face her.  
“Tell me.” he said with a firm, but assuring voice and Felicity let inhaled deeply, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

“Falling in love with you and having my heart broken again.” she admitted in a whisper.

“Hey,” he said, turning her on her back, towering over her, “I would never hurt you, Felicity. I would never break your heart. And I don’t want you to be scared to fall in love with me, because…” he hesitated and for the first time, Felicity looked up at him, curious to what he could say. “…because I’m already falling in love with you too.” he admitted and tried to read anything on Felicity’s face.

 

He was scared to admit it even after he admitted it to Caitlin the other night. But after hearing Felicity voicing her concerns, he couldn’t hold it back any longer. When Felicity’s face broke into the biggest smile he had ever seen, Oliver let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding before he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her passionately.

When Felicity broke the kiss to get some air, she ran her hand through his hair and over his cheek, the scruff on his face tickling her palm.  
She could feel her heart make a jump. “God, what are you doing to me?” she whispered and tried to force her eyes to work, at least for a second, without any luck.  
When Oliver got off from her and laid on his side next to her, she nuzzled into his chest.  
“Please never go away.” She whispered into his chest, half asleep.

“Never.” he promised her with a kiss and pulled her into his body before sleep overtook them both.

 

The next two days they spent a lot of time outside, exploring Los Angeles. Felicity took him to all the places she knew and loved and Oliver took her for a walk up the Hollywood Hills until her feet started to hurt. He carried her the entire way back down and relaxed on the couch with her and Caitlin in the evening. When Ronnie came to pick Caitlin up for another Date, both Oliver and Felicity smiled at her and wished her a great time. They snuggled into the couch with another glass of wine and spent the rest of the evening talking about Starling City and all the places Oliver wanted to show her.

Felicity knew he would have to fly back home the next morning, so they already made plans for their next visit.

Felicity told Oliver about her cousin Barry who also lived in Starling City and that she planned to visit him for quite a while now. She offered to talk to Barry and arrange a visit, that way she could also spend time with Oliver. He happily accepted and already started making plans for when they could meet with Tommy and Laurel and what Restaurants to visit. Felicity just grinned at his enthusiastic behavior, happy that she wasn’t the only one who felt like this.

 

When Oliver flew back home the next day, Felicity didn’t shed a tear. She smiled at him, knowing they would see each other again very soon. Oliver never wanted to break the kiss, trying to take her with him for as long as he could. When he reached the Security Check though, they finally had to part ways.

“We’ll see each other again very soon.” she smiled at him and Oliver gave her another passionate kiss before he turned to Caitlin and offered her a hand. “Please take good care of her.” he smiled at her.

“Always.” Caitlin replied and wrapped an arm around her best friend after shaking Oliver’s hand with a smile.

 

On his flight back Oliver thought about the last 3 days he had spent with Felicity and Caitlin. The way he flew to Los Angeles with the intentions to meet Felicity’s best friend and charm her with his typical behavior. The way everything went quite different than he had planned it in his head. The way he almost messed it up with her best friend. The way Felicity’s laughs and smiles warmed his heart. The way being with her just felt right. The way Felicity told him she’s falling in love with him.

 

At that, he recalled the conversation he had with Tommy about his intentions with her. His best friend had a point, Oliver knew that, and even though he didn’t want to admit it, it got stuck in his mind until now.

Now, after having spent 3 amazing days with Felicity in her _‘normal habitat’_ as she liked to call it, he was 100% sure though, that Tommy’s concerns were arbitrary. He wasn’t just feeling protective of Felicity; he was falling in love with her – faster than he’s ever fallen in love before.


	12. Mama knows best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sudden Doctor's appointment followed by an unexpected turn of events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struggling with this Chapter - a LOT! I have it finished for weeks now, but edited it 3 times now - and I'm still not 100% happy with it. But changing it again and again won't solve the problem I guess, plus it holds me back from writing on other Chapters. So I decided to just post it. It's not my best Chapter, so please bear with me.

Oliver didn’t have much time to wallow in memories of his weekend with Felicity because Training was on his plan again. John Diggle, his personal coach and physical therapist called him early on Sunday evening, letting him know the new Training schedule and that he expected him to be on time. Apparently the new Sponsor wanted to have a Look at the Team and it wouldn’t make a good first impression if their Star - Quarterback was late.

Over the next 3 weeks, the Training Sessions were very refreshing to Oliver, he was glad to be finally out in the field again, able to play; even if it was just for training purposes. But with a new Sponsor in the loop, chances were good the Starling Archers could finally play in the League again soon.

Training also kept him occupied so he didn’t have much time to miss Felicity. They still talked on the phone at least twice a day, and one time she even spoke to Tommy when he snatched the phone from Oliver’s bag while he was in the bathroom and she tried to call him.  
But every night when he went to bed alone, he missed her presence nonetheless.

 

When Felicity announced she would be coming to Starling City the following week, Oliver couldn’t hide his excitement. Even his team members recognized the change in him and started to bug him with questions. Oliver never replied to any of them, he just grinned like a schoolboy and left the room.

Felicity told him she had another last-minute Doctor’s appointment that she had to take but after that she would get everything ready to fly over to Starling City and visit him – and her cousin Barry, of course.

 

The day the Doctor’s appointment came up, Felicity didn’t have much time to wonder why the Doctor would want to see her so out of the blue, as the next appointment was scheduled for early next month – and that was still over 3 weeks away. Maybe something about a new eye treatment had come up that the Doctor wanted to talk with her about, she thought.  
Just when she was getting herself ready for the appointment, a loud knocking on her door pulled her out of her thoughts.  
Before Felicity could reply, the door swung open and a person marched into the room, squealing and wrapping her arms around Felicity, who stood in the middle of her guest room, barely dressed in underwear, completely dumbfounded.  
“Mom?” she asked in confusion while her mother kept hugging her tightly. “What are you doing here?”

“Sweetie, I’m coming with you to your appointment today! You never tell me anything about your recovery and I barely get to see you these days, so I took the day off and came here!” Donna squealed and yelled in excitement. Felicity just stood there and didn’t move a muscle.

“You look lovely but did you gain some weight?” Donna pinched her in the hip and Felicity shoved her hand away in surprise. “Seems Caitlin is feeding you a little too well!” she laughed while looking at Caitlin who leaned in the doorway with raised eyebrows. Caitlin knew Felicity’s mom all too well by now but Donna still managed to make Caitlin shake her head at times.  
“And now hurry up, we’re already running late.” Donna shooed Felicity back to the closet before making her way to the door again. Felicity stepped forward, completely dumbfounded and caught off-guard by the sudden visit of her mother and the fact that she wanted to go to a Doctor’s appointment with her.

“Wait!” Felicity turned around with a raised finger and Donna stopped at the door, “How do you know about the appointment today? Not even Caitlin knew – heck, not even I knew until 2 days ago!”

Donna laughed slightly. “It’s because I made the appointment with your Doctor, honey! And now get yourself ready. We don’t want to be running late!”  
With that, Donna stormed out of the room just like she stormed in a few minutes ago, the clicking of her High Heels signaling Felicity that she must have settled in the kitchen or on the couch.

 

Felicity stared ahead, completely confused. She had already called a cab to pick her up for the appointment and everything was set, but she sure didn’t think her mother would accompany her, let alone even arrange that appointment.

“I swear I didn’t know she was coming.” Caitlin whispered apologetic and Felicity jerked around in surprise to her friend standing in the doorway of her room.

“I’ sure you know I would have killed you if you did.” Felicity gave her a tight smile. “Could you help me pick a dress maybe? I at least don’t want to look like shit if I have to go to my own execution today” Felicity sighed and Caitlin gave her a supportive smile and pat on the shoulder.

“Would you want me to come with you? I mean, I would have to move around some meetings for today, but I’m sure I could stay away from the office for an hour.” Caitlin offered while she rummaged through the dresses and skirts Felicity had in the closet.

“Oh no it’s okay. I mean, it’s not the first time I have to grapple with my Mom over something, so I’m sure I’ll manage. Guess she just wants to hear from the Doctor if there’s any news on my eye condition.” she shrugged.

 

When Caitlin pulled out a light blue flowy sundress with small shoulder straps, she grinned confidently at her best friend.  
“I found the perfect dress!” Caitlin announced. “it’s the sky blue one that I forced you to buy when we were in Vegas, remember?”

“Of course I remember, that weekend was EPIC! The _‘Hangover’_ movies had nothing on us!” Felicity laughed while Caitlin helped her into the dress and closed the zipper.

 

Just when there was a knock on the Apartment door, Felicity emerged from the guest room, dressed in the Sundress and a Ballerina flat to match with her walking cast. Donna quickly opened the door, took Felicity’s arm and helped her out of the building and into the cab. They rode to the appointment almost in complete silence besides some shallow conversations about her new walking cast and bandage wrap.

 

“Miss Smoak, so nice to see you!” the Doctor greeted her as soon as both Felicity and Donna entered the office, “However I must say I was a bit surprised to see you on my schedule for today. Wasn’t our next appointment in 3 weeks, earliest?”

“Well I’m just as surprised as you are. Obviously my mother,” gesturing to her left where Donna had taken a seat next to her, “arranged that appointment. I didn’t know until yesterday either.”

“So, what is this appointment about then, if I may ask?” the Doctor turned his attention to Felicity’s mother.

Donna gave him a bright smile before she spoke,  
“I’d like you to check on my daughter’s current eye condition again. It has been weeks since the accident and with the unsuccessful trip to Europe and no updates about the healing process whatsoever, I’d like to make sure my daughter gets the best treatment possible.”

“Miss Smoak, I can assure you that your daughter is in the best hands here.”

“Yeah, I don’t doubt that. It’s just that I’d like to have her checked up again now to hear it myself. And if there’s still no improvement of her condition compared to several weeks ago, I’d like to speak about possible other options as well.” Donna spoke with a firm voice and Felicity’s head shot up at that statement.

“Like what?” she asked her mother, clearly confused.

“Discussing the fact that your eyesight might never come back, honey. And in that case, taking precautions for the future.” Donna told her in a calm tone while she placed her hand over Felicity’s in her lap.

“Precautions?” Felicity asked. It wasn’t her to throw these one-liners at people, but her mother caught her completely off guard.

“Yes. Like registering you at a Blind School, for example. These things need to be discussed, the sooner the better.”

“Excuse me?” Felicity yelled at her mother, a little louder than necessary.

“Honey, I’m just trying to help you preparing for the possibility that your eyesight might stay away permanently. I’m just trying to help you become a little more independent in the future, should your eyesight never come back.” Donna tried to sound apologetic, but the choice of words just made Felicity more furious. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing from her mother.

“A little more independent? Are you kidding me?” she shot at her mother, pushing away Donnas hand that still rested on hers in her lap, anger slowly building up in her body.

Donna looked at her with worried expression. “Honey, all I’m asking is for you to consider the possibility that your eyesight might be damaged permanently. And in that case, we need to take precautions so you can live as independent as possible. That’s why we’re here, so we can discuss these possibilities with your Doctor.” Donna smiled.

 

The Doctor kept silent during the entire conversation, not wanting to bother the two women. He was ready to make a comment when one of them asked him to.

 

“Oh I’m sorry if I’m such a disappointment to you and I’m sorry I’m obviously not the daughter you wished for but things don’t always go your way, Mom!” Felicity yelled.

“Look, all I’m saying is that you should realize that there’s a possibility your eyes will stay like that. And if they do, you should think about giving it a try with the blind school. It can’t hurt to try and I’m sure it’ll come in handy, right?” Donna turned her attention to Felicity’s Doctor with a smile, encouraging him to agree with her.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows slightly and thought about it for a second.  
“Well it certainly would help improving your everyday life – situations. You wouldn’t have to ask for company if you want to go out any more, for example.” he suggested, but Felicity just kept a blank face, silently taking in what her mother and her Doctor were telling her.  
Donna smiled at her and tried to grab Felicity’s hand out of her lap again, when Felicity just shot her a warning look.

This entire situation gave her a major headache already. She didn’t want to hear any of that; she didn’t want to talk about the possibility of staying permanently blind or visiting a blind school, for that matter. She didn’t even want to be here in the first place, fewest of all with her mother.  
It all sounded perfectly fine in her head – the way she already planned the next months.

 

\----->

 

_Being temporarily blind didn’t bother Felicity any more as much as it did a few weeks ago, after she woke up in the hospital when darkness surrounded her. It still felt weird waking up in the morning, opening her eyes to darkness around her, but she became used to it and the sounds of birds chirping outside or feeling the morning sun warming her skin made her accept her current situation a lot better in the mornings._

_She even felt her other senses become more prominent and things she never paid any attention to suddenly became her constant companion during the day._   
_Everything tasted differently; she realized that pretty quickly after she woke up in the hospital. During her first meal there she yelled at the nurse that something was wrong with her so-called Strawberry Jell-O because it tasted different than the Jell-O she was used to._

_After that it had been pretty much every food she ate that put her tasting senses on fire. Felicity quickly found out what foods she loved and which she didn’t love – and Caitlin was surprised how much that differed from the old Felicity._   
_When it came to wine, though, Felicity was quite happy that she still loved the same brands she always loved. Everything just tasted so much better and more intense. Caitlin loved to call it a ‘food-gasm’ every time Felicity put something in her mouth and then hummed and moaned slightly at the taste._

_One night Caitlin asked her if life had become any different to Felicity now that everything was black around her. But Felicity just smiled and assured her that whenever something different happened or Felicity was caught off guard in a situation, she remembered herself that the blindness would be gone soon, and everything in her life would go back to normal again. For the moment she just lived her life with a little obstacle that would be gone, soon._

_Caitlin told her she was proud of her best friend and amazed at the strength that Felicity had about her situation. And at the end of the conversation, Caitlin said something that burned into Felicity’s mind._   
_“Never let go of your positive attitude, Fee. It’s scientifically proven that positive thinking improves your overall health. I must know. I’m a scientist.”_

_So that’s what she did. Thinking positive, believing in a good outcome of this, meaning getting her eyesight back within a few months, getting rid of the casts and being able to start a new life, soon. That’s what she held onto all these weeks since the accident._

 

\----->

 

The situation was getting ridiculous. Felicity kept her mouth shut the entire time and let her mother be, to avoid any more discussions, but this was too much. Everything was slipping out of her hands and Felicity sure wasn’t going to accept that.

After a few seconds of silence, Felicity balled her fists in her lap and took a deep breath before looking up and starting to speak to her mother and the Doctor.  
“For the record, I am NOT going to a blind school,” she said with a firm voice that left no room for objection. “I am NOT going to learn Braille just so you won’t have to bother yourself reading me a Menu at a restaurant,” she turned her attention to her mother, lifting a warning finger in her direction.  
“I am NOT going to learn walking around with a blindman’s stick or dog or whatever just to make you feel a little less guilty about me. This is NOT a permanent blindness and I am not some kind of handicapped damsel in distress so would you PLEASE stop making decisions for me, Mom? It’s not that you cared when I was younger so please don’t bother yourself to do so now. I got everything under control just fine.” Felicity was glaring at her mother.

Donna sat next to her, completely dumbfounded. It took her several seconds to process what her daughter just told her before she spoke up again.  
“Do you really think I’m doing this for myself?”

“Well yes, actually I do!” Felicity yelled back before she crossed her arms over her chest. “It wasn’t me who made this appointment, it wasn’t me who suggested blind school, it wasn’t me started talking about permanent blindness so yes, I do think you’re doing this for yourself because you sure as hell didn’t ask me about any of these things before you made up your mind about them!” Felicity didn’t back down. She wasn’t going to let her mother take away the positivity that kept her going all these weeks, no matter if Donna had a point or not.

“You need to find a job at some point, have you ever thought about that? How do you think you can do that if you refuse to accustom to your condition at least a bit?” Donna’s voice sounding more irritated now.

“Well my brain is still working just fine Mom, thank you very much! And it’s not that I have to run around in 3 inch heels, serving Drinks to some rich people so I’m pretty sure I’ll manage.” she spat at her mother. “Besides, I don’t think it’s any of your business how I choose to spend my days, or my savings, for that matter.”

“What about Caitlin? Do you plan to live on her couch for the rest of your life, depending on her help?”

Felicity let out an angry laugh and shook her head in disbelief. This was becoming absolutely ridiculous.  
“Well I’m sorry to disappoint you Mom, but Caitlin actually is the best friend I could ever ask for and unlike you, she supports and motivates me as good as she can. In fact, Caitlin would never have the guts and arrange an appointment with my Doctor behind my back to talk me into some stuff that I won’t be doing!” she spat at her before she grabbed for her handbag that sat on the floor next to her. “And this conversation is now over,” she said before grabbing her phone, ordering it to call Caitlin.

While the phone dialed, Felicity turned her face to her Doctor.  
“I’m sorry you had to witness that and I’m sorry if we wasted your time. I’ll see you for the next appointment in 3 weeks.” Felicity said before she got up, grabbed her handbag and feeled her way through the room, to the door behind them. Donna sent an apologetic smile to the Doctor before she got up as well and followed her daughter outside.

“Caitlin, could you pick me up from the Doctor or should I call a cab?”  
Donna just stared at her daughter while she spoke on the phone.  
Caitlin agreed to pick Felicity up from the Doctor on her way to work and Felicity was relieved she didn’t have to call a cab and possibly have to share it with her mother. Donna was the last person she was interested to spend any more time with right now.

“Honey – “  
At Donna’s approach, Felicity shot around to face her mother before she steadied herself with a hand on the wall.  
“WHAT do you think you are doing?” Felicity yelled at her, not caring for other patients who might hear them in the hallway. “It is MY decision how I handle my treatments, it is MY decision whether or not I consider blind school in the future and if you want to know anything about my healing process, you can damn-fine ask me! This is my life and you don’t get to make any decisions for me, not any more, Mom!” Felicity took a step back and inhaled deeply, anger radiating from her.

Before Donna could open her mouth to respond, Felicity continued her angry ramble.  
“I never judged you when you decided to start working at that shady Nightclub, or started dating that idiot of a Broker that ran off with all our savings, or when you forced me to move around with you every few months. Hell I even supported you as good as I could! So I’m asking you now… why the hell can’t you support me that one time when I could actually need it? But no, instead of supporting me you make an appointment behind my back and try to convince me and talk me into stuff. That’s just the support I need Mom, thank you!” Felicity sighed ironically. She was exhausted and tired of hearing any apology from her mother.

Donna stared at her daughter, at a loss for words. She knew Felicity wouldn’t be happy about that behind-her-back appointment, but Donna didn’t expect her daughter to react like that.  
“Caitlin will pick me up any minute, so please call yourself a cab. I’m sure you’ll understand I’m not in the mood to have any more conversation for the moment. I’ll call you if there’s anything new.” Felicity told her and started walking to the Exit, steadying herself on the handrail on the wall that led out of the Hallway. She just wanted to get away from her mother, as far as possible right now.  
Caitlin picked her up a few minutes later and gave Donna an apologetic smile before she left the building with her and walked her to her car.

 

That night, Felicity cried for the first time since her accident.

After a long and tiring day, she skipped dinner with Caitlin and told her she’d go to bed early. Felicity wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore after the incident at her Doctor’s and the look on her face let Caitlin know that she probably wasn’t interested in eating either. Caitlin gave her an apologetic look but didn’t want to push the topic, so instead she just hugged her best friend and told her to knock on her door if anything’s wrong or if she just wanted to talk.  
Once Felicity closed the guest room door behind her and sank down on the bed, the first tears started to fall silently.

She didn’t want to admit that what her mother and the Doctor said was true. There was a decent chance that her eyesight might never come back. She just refused to accept that, she tried to cling to the positive thoughts and hope that helped her through all the past weeks. When the thought crossed her that she may have been in denial all the time, not seeing the true reality, picturing everything a little too good to be true, she couldn’t hold back the sobs any more that left her mouth while tears streamed down her face. Every emotion, every flicker of a doubt that she pushed away the past weeks came up in that moment and Felicity couldn’t do anything but cry, the anger and stress of the day slowly starting to leave her body, making her shake uncontrollably.

Caitlin sat in the living room, going through work documents when she heard the first silent sobs coming from Felicity’s room. She put the pen aside and silently made her way through the hallway to the guest room. The closer she got, the louder Felicity’s sobs became and for a moment Caitlin wasn’t sure what she should do. She hadn’t seen her best friend like that since the break-up with Cooper and even then Felicity was the one to seek support from her best friend.  
Now Felicity sat crying in Caitlin’s guest room after she signaled her she wasn’t interested in talking at all.  
Before Caitlin could knock, Felicity’s cries became louder and it sounded like her best friend was drifting straight to a full break down.  
Without giving it a second thought, Caitlin walked back to the kitchen, grabbed her phone and started dialing.

 

“Hello?”

“Hey Oliver, it’s Caitlin.”

“Caitlin, hi! Is everything okay?” Oliver’s voice tensed immediately. Caitlin couldn’t blame him; she had never called him before so he had a good reason to get suspicious.  
  
“Uhm, it’s about Felicity,” she started but Oliver cut her off.  
“Is everything okay with her? Where is she?”

“She’s here with me. Listen, something happened. All I know is she went to a Doctor’s appointment with her Mom today and called me to pick her up afterwards. She didn’t say a word, skipped dinner and went straight for her room. And now she’s crying for almost 30 minutes and it’s getting worse. I’m really worried but I didn’t know who else to call besides her Mom. And after Donna had been with her during the appointment, I doubt it would be the best idea to call her now. I know it’s sudden, but… could you come over?”

Caitlin could hear Oliver inhale and groan deeply. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up.  
“Do you know what happened? Have you tried speaking to her?”

“I tried to when I picked her up because she seemed so upset on the phone, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Her Mom was still there but I didn’t want to leave Felicity waiting, so I didn’t talk to her any more but… I haven’t seen Fee like that since the thing with her Ex, Oliver… I thought she was fine, until I heard her sobbing in her room and now she’s throwing a full crying fit and I honestly have no idea what to do.” Caitlin rubbed her forehead while she spoke, always keeping a close eye on the sounds coming from the guest room.

She could hear Oliver moving around with the phone in hand until she heard a car door click shut and an engine being started.  
“I’ll be there in 2 hours. Please keep an eye on her, try to comfort her but don’t tell her I’m coming over. It would only stress her out; she knows I’m having an important Sponsor Training tomorrow.” Oliver told her while he steered his Porsche through the streets of Starling City.

 

Not caring for any Trainings or Meetings that he had scheduled for the next morning, Oliver immediately acted on instinct, grabbed his car keys and ran to his car. If Caitlin called him it would definitely be urgent, of that he was sure. In the short time he got to know Caitlin, she appeared like a strong woman to him that knew very well how to help Felicity solve her problems. But now that she called him, asking him for help, he knew that he needed to get there and take care of Felicity himself.

Ignoring all possible traffic laws, Oliver speeded over the freeway and made it to Los Angeles in record time. He told Caitlin to call him if things got worse with Felicity and so far he hadn’t heard from her again, so he was hopeful that by the time he arrived there, Felicity would have calmed down a bit.

 

When he arrived at their building Complex, he parked the car and immediately got up to their Apartment. It took Caitlin only a few seconds to open after he knocked very softly, hoping Felicity wouldn’t hear him. When Caitlin opened the door and bade him to come in, he immediately looked down the hall to the guest room.  
“How is she?” he asked Caitlin in a whisper.  
“She fell asleep 10 minutes ago. I went inside after I called you and brought her some tea. She looks terrible, I have no idea what happened today, though.” Caitlin sighed with sagged shoulders.

Oliver made his way to the guest room and slowly opened the door. When he saw her lying on the bed, still fully dressed, he slowly entered the room and closed the door behind him.

 

“Hey,” a gentle, familiar voice and a warm hand on her shoulder rocked her out of her sleep before Felicity was pulled into an embrace. It took Felicity a few seconds to gather her surroundings before she realized who was with her.  
“Oliver? Wha – what are you doing here?” she asked with a raspy, tear – and sleep ridden voice.

“Caitlin called me. What happened?” he asked her, gently stroking her cheek, wiping the tear away that made its way down her face.

Felicity swallowed thickly before she was able to speak again.  
“Mom, she… she was here, arranged a Doctor’s appointment behind my back and tried to make me believe that my eyesight probably would never come back and that I need to realize that rather sooner than later.” Felicity whispered, not able to hold back new tears that ran down her face again while she spoke.  
“What if I was in denial all the time, Oliver? What if I denied myself facing the facts all these weeks? What if my Mom is right and I’ll never get my eyesight back?” she sobbed and tears started to wet his shirt that she clung onto.

“Hey, hey…” he said when he took her face in his hands, forcing her to look up at him while he spoke, “you’re the strongest, toughest person I know. Don’t let anyone take that away from you! You’ll get through that – WE will get through that, together!” Oliver spoke before he gently kissed her forehead.

“You shouldn’t have come here, Oliver… your Training – “  
“Felicity, you were crying and hurt, there was no other choice to make.” he assured her before he pulled her tighter into his embrace.

When Caitlin softly knocked and peeked her head through the door after a few seconds, Oliver gave her a quick smile. She entered the room and took a seat on the bed next to Felicity who still sat in Oliver’s lap and gently started stroking Felicity’s arm.

“Are you okay?” she whispered and Felicity just shook her head no.

“Thank you for calling Oliver,” Felicity replied after a while when she grabbed Caitlin’s hand and squeezed it lightly, “and I’m sorry I cut you off like that earlier. But after the fight with my Mom at the Doctor’s… I didn’t want to speak another word and just lay down for a while. I’m sorry Cait.” Felicity honestly told her and Caitlin just squeezed her hand assuringly.

 _“_ Hey it’s okay. We can talk whenever you feel comfortable to.” Caitlin smiled at her before she gave Oliver a quick look and mouthed a _'Thank you’_ at him. He just nodded with a tight smile.

“What are you going to do now?” Caitlin asked her.

“She’s coming with me,” Oliver cut her off before Felicity could reply anything. At his statement, both Caitlin and Felicity looked up at him in surprise.

 

“I am?” Felicity asked him with raised eyebrows.

“She is?” Caitlin added, equally confused.

“I have a Training tomorrow morning that I can’t miss and there’s no chance I’m leaving you here like that. So you’ll come with me. At least for a few days. You can take some time off and decide what you want to do. We can even talk to a few different Doctors in Starling if you’d like to, it’s your choice. And whenever you want to come back here, we’ll come back. But for now, you’re definitely coming with me.” Oliver said with a firm tone and Felicity didn’t even want to protest.

“Are you okay with that?” Oliver asked Caitlin. “I would even offer to take you as well but unfortunately, my car only has 2 seats.”

“Sure… I mean… it’s Felicity’s decision. Thanks for the offer though, but I couldn’t come with you anyway, my work schedule is pretty full for the entire week, so… guess I’ll help you pack.” Caitlin smiled when she took Felicity’s hand in hers and dragged her out of Oliver’s lap and off the bed.

 

On their way back to Starling City, Felicity held Oliver’s hand in hers all the time. She never let go of it, not even when he had to shift gears. The aftereffects of the day and the steady hum of the engine made Felicity drift off into a deep sleep.

 

When they arrived in Starling City, Oliver parked the Porsche in the Underground garage and grabbed Felicity’s bag out of the trunk. After he asked one of the night guards to send the luggage upstairs to his Loft, he slowly opened the passenger door, unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled Felicity out of the seat and into his arms. She didn’t stir or woke up while the elevator brought them to his Floor, exhaustion of today’s events taking its toll on her. When he entered his Loft and headed immediately for the bedroom, Oliver put her down and gently started waking her up.

“Hey beautiful, wake up… we’re there.”

After a few seconds, Felicity slowly awoke, immediately realizing the different surroundings and the soft cushions she sat on. When she looked around, trying to make out any sounds, Oliver spoke up.

“We’re in my bedroom. I figured you’d prefer sleeping here than on the couch in the living room.” He grinned at her when he got up from bed. When she tried to grab his wrist to stop him from leaving the room, Oliver tried to calm her down.

“I’ll be back in one minute, I just need to shut down the lights and bring up your bags. Don’t worry.” he assured her and kissed her temple before he left the room.

 

Felicity leaned back into the pillows, letting out a breath. Her hands started wandering around the bed and over the nightstand next to her. She could feel Oliver’s watch lying there, next to what appeared to be a Tablet, a TV remote and a picture frame. The room smelled just like Oliver and Felicity was happy to have at least one familiar scent to focus on. When she tried to step out of the bed, Felicity realized that her feet weren’t touching the ground and she wondered how big the bed could be that she currently sat on. After gliding off the mattress a bit she could feel a fluffy carpet touch her foot and she slowly steadied herself. With outstretched hands she took a few tentative steps forward until her fingers hit a wall. From that, she turned to the left and slowly took a step forward, her left hand always trying to make out any objects in front of her while the right hand guided along the wall. When she reached a door frame that led to another room, she slowly took a step inside. The room smelled a lot like perfume and shower gel and Felicity guessed that this must be the en-suite bathroom.  
Just before she could continue her journey, the door behind her opened and Oliver entered the room again, her bags securely wrapped over his shoulders. When he saw her exploring his bedroom, he stopped at the door and took in the sight in front of him. The woman he was falling in love with, dressed in a cute blue sundress, hair messy from the ride to Starling City, exploring his bedroom completely on her own. He couldn’t contain the bright smile that covered his face while he leaned at the doorframe with crossed arms.

“I promise you’ll get the grand tour tomorrow, but now come here,” Oliver grinned after he threw her bags into a corner and closed the distance to her in 2 long steps before he pulled her into an embrace.

“It’s almost 1.30am and I really need to get some sleep,” he murmured into her hair while he walked them to the bed before putting her down and opening the zipper of her dress. “Diggle expects me at the Field at 8am and I’m not allowed to be late.”

When Felicity let out a yawn, Oliver laughed. “And it seems you’re in need of a good amount of sleep just as much as I am.”

“I feel like I could sleep for weeks,” Felicity admitted when she undressed and slowly got under the sheets in his surprisingly comfortable and soft bed. When she felt the mattress dip next to her, she realized Oliver had settled in bed as well.

“Let’s sleep now, beautiful. We’ll talk later.” he gently caressed her cheek before he gave her a kiss on the lips. Felicity realized she hadn’t kissed Oliver at all since he arrived in Los Angeles, so she pulled him in for another sweet kiss.

When Oliver pulled her tighter to his chest and nuzzled into her hair, Felicity sighed contently.  
“I missed this.” Oliver confessed with a half sleepy voice. “Falling asleep like this. With you in my arms.”

“Me too.” Felicity whispered before she slowly drifted off to sleep.


	13. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 12k words… my god what did I do? :D  
> Long Chapter. A lot of stuff (finally) happens. Isabel happens. Smut happens. Enjoy. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love me some Comments and Feedback! Let me know what you think! :)

 

The next morning came all too soon, at least for Oliver.

Felicity didn’t stir; she slept peacefully next to him, curled into his sheets, a soft smile on her lips. Not even the alarm on his phone awoke her, unlike Oliver. The events of the last day really have taken a toll on her and Oliver knew she badly needed the sleep, so he got out of bed silently and used the bathroom down the hallway instead of the en-suite one, to not wake her up.

Once he got himself ready, grabbed his sports bag and gathered all the stuff he’d need for the day, he made his way downstairs and prepared Felicity a quick breakfast. Over all, she didn’t know the Apartment yet and there would be no way for her to find something to eat.  
He arranged a tray of food; made her some toast and cut strawberries and apples for her. After he poured her a cup of coffee and also put it on the tray along with a bottle of water, he poured himself a cup as well. A coffee and an apple would do before the Training.

 

When he got upstairs, Felicity was still fast asleep. He put the tray down and slowly made his way around the bed to her side. When he gently pulled her hair out of her face and peppered her cheek with kisses, Felicity slowly woke up.  
“Hey, beautiful,” he whispered into her neck between kisses, “good morning.”

Felicity just hummed slightly half asleep and wrapped an arm around Olivers neck, pulling him into her chest.  
“I’ll keep you.” she mumbled before drifting off again and Oliver actually had to chuckle at that.

“I’m all yours – after my Training,” he smiled at her and tried to free himself from Felicity’s grip, resulting in her tightening it even more.

“Would you please let me go? This is uncomfortable,” he laughed at her and Felicity just shook her head, still pretty much half asleep.

“Nope, you’re staying with me.” she mumbled.

 

“I made coffee,” he grinned at her, trying to sneak out of her death grip. At that, Felicity slowly lifted her head off the pillow, eyes blinking slightly. Oliver took the moment to free himself from her arms and sat down on the edge of the mattress. After she sat up, yawning and stretching like a cat, she turned her face into the room and sniffed twice.  
“I can’t smell anything.” she wondered.

“It’s because the kitchen with the coffee roaster is downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” she looked at him with confusion, trying to tame her messy curls with her fingers.

“Yeah, like a 2-story Apartment.” Oliver chuckled. “You know, kitchen and living room downstairs, bedroom and bathroom upstairs…”

She quirked an eyebrow at him while he spoke. “I know what a 2-story-Apartment is, idiot. I just didn’t know you lived in one.” she shrugged and yawned again.

 

“As much as I would love to stay with you right now, but I really need to leave for Training soon. BUT…” he got up from the bed and walked around to the other side to pick up the tray, “I brought you breakfast.” he proudly announced.  
Oliver placed the tray over her legs and Felicity immediately started fishing for a coffee mug. When she got ahold of it, she took a sip and hummed slightly at the taste.  
“I will be gone for 3-4 hours. I’ll try and come home as soon as possible. Your phone is on the nightstand next to you, if anything’s wrong, you call me!” Oliver warned her with a serious tone, “The bathroom is to your right side, you basically just need to take 4 steps forward. Don’t worry, there’s nothing that you could trip over, I already took care of that. Would you want me to show you the room quickly?”

“Oh no no, I think I’ll manage.” she smiled at him, waving in the direction of the bathroom.  
When Oliver handed her the remote for the TV, she got a confused look on her face.  
“I know you’re not into watching TV, but I figured you could listen to a Radio Station if you get too bored? The round button in the middle turns the TV on, and by pushing down you can switch between the Radio channels. The TV is right in front of you.” he smiled at her.

“There’s Toast, some fruits and a bottle of water on the tray. Would you need anything else?”

“No no, I’m fine. Thanks, Oliver. For everything.” she gave him an honest smile and Oliver crawled on the bed to give her a sweet quick kiss.

“Anything for you.” he whispered between kisses.  
After a few seconds, Oliver pulled back reluctantly and got off the bed, grabbing his bag and made his way to the door when he quickly turned around once more.  
“Just please watch out if you leave the room, the stairwell is right opposite of this bedroom. I don’t want you to fall down there.” he told her with a slightly worried tone.  
“I won’t leave the room until you’re back, promised.” she smiled at him before she placed the mug back on the tray and fumbled for a piece of toast. “I think I’ll just sleep some more after my delicious breakfast.” she said and took a bite of her toast.

 

Oliver stared at her for a few seconds, taking in the scene in front of him.  
Felicity, HIS Felicity, sitting on his bed, early in the morning, nibbling on some toast that he made her. The domesticity of that situation was something he really wanted to explore more with her in the future, even though all of this was still so unlike him.

When she chuckled after she tossed over the bowl of strawberries, Oliver dropped his bags and quickly walked over to her side of the bed. He pulled her into his embrace and pressed his lips firmly on hers. Felicity responded immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

He tasted of toothpaste and coffee, or maybe she tasted herself on his tongue. She didn’t know, and she didn’t care. She just enjoyed the moment with him, until Oliver pulled away and got up from the bed again. She sighed and pouted and Oliver couldn’t stop but laugh at her.  
“I love it when you have your eyes open all the time and not wear those sunshades. I love your eyes.”

Felicity blushed at that.  
“Yeah, seems it’s getting better. Bright lights aren’t hurting my eyes that much anymore. I take that as a good sign. But now go. I don’t want to be the reason you’re late!” she said with a firm tone and shooed him out of his own bedroom.

“See you later, beautiful.” he smiled at her when he grabbed his bag and started to head for the door once again.

“Wait, where are my bags?” he heard her call before he could make his way down the stairs. “I’m pretty sure my hair is a mess and I could definitely need a shower.” She sniffed at herself and made a face.

“They’re right in front of the bed. The shower is super easy to use, there’s a large handle in the wall. Turn it left and the water gets warm, turn it right and it gets cold. Easy as that.” he smiled at her.

“I really need to leave now,” Oliver said when he checked his watch and realized he was actually almost running late.  
“Bye” he whispered and made his way out the door and down the stairs. When Felicity heard the Loft door click shut, she sank back into the pillows, her head resting on the headboard.

 

She started examining the tray in front of her again and when she got ahold of an apple, she quickly stuffed it in her mouth before putting the tray aside to where Oliver slept last night. She swung the sheets off and slowly slipped out of bed before taking a few steps forward. Felicity remembered the doorframe of what appeared to be the en-suite bathroom being very close to her bedside. Once she got ahold of it, she slowly pushed the door open and took a step inside. To her left she could feel a cold marble counter with a large basin. When she took a step to the right, she could feel some cold glass of what she guessed must be the shower.

As soon as she reached the toilet, she sighed happily and made a small fist pump because she needed to pee – badly.

 

Once back in the bedroom, she tried to locate her bags for a fresh pair of underwear and some sweatpants. She almost emptied the entire bag until she found everything she was looking for and made her way back to the bathroom, slowly getting a feel for her new surroundings. She managed to find a towel that still smelled fresh, removed her walking cast and slowly hopped into the shower. She leaned to the wall to steady herself and keep pressure away from her left foot and slowly started turning on the water until the temperature suited her.

The shower had been very relaxing and even if she wasn’t able to find any of her shampoos or shower gels in her bag, she felt cleansed and revitalized. And she smelled like Oliver. Which was kind of weird, but she knew that smell, so she was okay with it.

Once she sat back in bed, she fumbled around to find the TV remote and turned the TV on. When she found a radio station that suited her, she leaned back on the bed and nibbled on another slice of apple. Relaxing into the pillow with the music filling the room silently, Felicity drifted off to sleep again.

 

The Training had been quite successful; the Sponsor was very pleased with the Team and quickly left the field with the Managers to discuss contracts. Oliver was happy to be out in the field again, especially with the chance to play in the League again soon.

While he got out of the shower and changed into his street clothes, his teammates discussed going out tonight to celebrate the first successful Team Training in months.  
Diggle wrapped an arm around Oliver and pulled him into his chest.  
“Drinks later at the Beer House. All of us hanging out together is long overdue!”

“Sorry, can’t. But have a round on me” Oliver grinned and freed himself out of Diggle’s grip.

“What up man? Don’t you want to hang out with your best friends and teammates anymore?” Diggle shoulder bumped him.

“Of course, but I’m having a visitor right now and don’t want to leave her waiting longer as it is today.”

“Her?” Diggle grinned at his friend with a raised eyebrow. “So you’re ditching us for a girl?”

“Not just a girl. And that’s all I’m telling you my friend, so don’t bother yourself asking.” Oliver smirked at him with a wink.

“Then just bring her over! I can ask Carly and I’m sure Max and Cisco would bring their girls as well. That way I could get to meet that mysterious woman, too.” Diggle grinned while stuffing his clothes into his sports bag.

“It’s not that easy, Dig. I promise you’ll meet her soon, but everything’s still pretty fresh and it’s her first day in Starling, so… I’d like to spend the day with her – alone.” Oliver winked and got up from the bench, grabbed his bag and made his way to the Exit in quick steps.

“Don’t forget the Conference tomorrow evening. The entire team has to be there!”  
Diggle yelled at his friend before he was out of sight.

“Text me the time again, please!” Oliver called back before the doors click shut and he was gone. Diggle just sat there and shook his head with a laugh. Seeing Oliver in such a good mood was un-usual for him. That mysterious woman obviously did things with the Starling Archers Quarterback that lifted his mood a lot, which made Diggle even more curious who that person might be.

 

Oliver arrived back at his Loft in record time, impatiently waiting for the elevator to open its doors and take him up to his floor. When he opened the door to his Loft and stepped inside, he could hear faint noises coming from the bedroom. So she obviously managed to turn on the TV, he thought to himself. With a smile on his lips, he took the stairs two at a time and quickly made his way upstairs to find Felicity sound asleep on the bed again. Her hair was still damp and she the room looked just like her Hotel room back in Marbella. The entire floor was covered in dresses and shirts, leaving her bag completely empty. He just shook his head with a smile at the sight in front of him – until he spotted the damp towel, resting on his side of the bed.

“That woman!” Oliver mumbled to himself when he made his way to the bed, grabbed the towel and threw it in the hamper across the room. He took the tray off the bed and gently slid in next to her.

When Felicity felt the mattress shift and felt two strong arms pulling her into a hard chest, she smiled and sighed loudly, but never opened her eyes.  
“You’re back.” she whispered into his chest.

“I’m back.” he replied with a smile and gently kissed her head.

“You smell like me. Why do you smell like me?” Oliver asked with a grin when he sniffed her hair and recognized the smell as one of his shampoos.

“Couldn’t find my shower gel.” She mumbled into his chest with a slight shrug, not caring to move a muscle or open her eyes.

“That I see.” Oliver chuckled while he eyed the bedroom floor, covered in her clothes. “Are you always that messy? Because if you are, we have to work on that.” he laughed.

Felicity looked up at him in feigned dismay. “I’m sorry Mister, but if YOU -” poking a finger at his chest, shoving him backwards a bit, “would have packed my bags properly, that mess wouldn’t have happened in the first place.” she cocked an eyebrow at him with a confident grin.

Oliver couldn’t hold back the surprised look and laugh at her statement.  
“Oh so it’s my own fault the room looks so messy?”

“Seems I’m dating a smart boy.” she grinned and squeezed his cheek and caught Oliver completely off guard at that.

“Oh wait, young Lady!” he growled with a laugh before he tackled her onto her back, pinning her arms over her head with one hand, using the other to tickle her mercilessly. Felicity couldn’t stop laughing even though she couldn’t move a limb under him. When tears started to prick at her eyes, she begged him to stop.  
“Please, Oliver, stop! Stop! I give up, I give up!” she laughed, trying to wiggle away from his tickle attacks.

Oliver stopped and looked down at her, using his free hand to wipe away her laugh-tears from her cheeks.  
“So you admit that you’re a messy person and that it isn’t my fault?”

“Well, technically – “ Felicity started with a grin but when Oliver started his tickle attack once more, she surrendered. “Okay, okay, I admit. I’m a messy person.” she laughed and Oliver let go of her hands and sat down next to her.  
Felicity could practically hear the grin that covered Oliver’s face.

“Awesome. Since this is clarified now, we can move on to activity No.2 on the agenda for today.”  
He got off the bed and pulled the sheets from her when confusion was written all over her face.  
“You’ll get the grand tour of the Loft. Or do you plan on staying in my bedroom forever?” he grinned at her and Felicity immediately relaxed and slid off the mattress to get up.

“As much as I would love spending all day in your bedroom,” she smirked at him, “a Tour through the Apartment sounds wonderful. Even though we haven’t talked about how long I can stay?”

“You can stay as long as you want, Felicity.” he smiled at her and looped her hand into his arm.

“Alright, let’s do this.” She smiled and waited for Oliver to take a step to the door.

“Wait, I’ll go grab you some house shoes.” Oliver quickly threw in and already made his way to the walk-in closet when Felicity stopped him.

“No, walking barefoot is better for me, actually. It helps me to figure out room sizes and stuff like that. I can feel when surfaces change or where carpets begin or end. Besides, I’d rather bump my toe on the couch than breaking my nose walking into a wall.” she laughed.

“Well, then… Milady?” he asked and gently tugged her arm forward out into the hallway.

 

Together they explored the entire Loft. Oliver gave Felicity time to make out the dimensions of every room while he carefully watched her and answered every question she asked him. At some point when they explored his living room, she asked Oliver to make coffee so she could explore the living room and stairway a bit on her own. When Oliver hesitated for a moment and didn’t leave her side, Felicity gently padded his hand.

“I’m not a baby, Oliver. I need to count steps and hear the echoes of the room while I walk around and for that I need to concentrate.”

Oliver let go of her arm and made his way to the kitchen to get them both a cup of coffee, always keeping a close eye on Felicity. She slowly wandered around the room, deeply concentrated. Once she rounded all walls, she explored the middle of the room. Just when Oliver filled the two coffee mugs, he heard a slight thud coming from the living room. His head shot up and he saw Felicity tumbling over the backrest of his couch, her feet dangling in the air, her upper body completely hidden behind the backrest.

“Everything alright?” he asked her with a worried tone.

“Oh my god, how can this thing be so comfortable?” she raved and stroked the soft fabric of his large grey couch and Oliver couldn’t hold back a grin. “Here I thought your bed was heaven, but THIS… oh my god!” she rubbed and rolled over his couch, humming deliciously.

Oliver walked over with a grin and handed her a coffee mug before he sat down next to her.  
After taking a sip and relaxing into the couch, watching her, he spoke again.  
“So… do you think you’ll find your way in my Apartment?”

Felicity got up from her stretching position and sat up.  
“It’ll take me some more days and I’m sure I’ll bump into a few things but other than that I think I’ll manage.” she smiled at him before taking a sip from her coffee.

“What do you think? Should we head out for lunch? I didn’t have time for breakfast before Training and honestly I feel like I’m starving. And I’m sure the breakfast that I made you wasn’t ‘that’ satisfying, either.”

Felicity gave him an honest smile and leaned into his shoulder.  
“Making me breakfast was wonderful and I loved it. But you’re right, lunch sounds perfect.” Before Oliver could say something, she spoke again.  
“BUT – I’m not going to leave this couch!” she announced and plopped back into the cushions after putting the mug on the table in front of her.

Oliver stood in the room for a moment, grinning at her.  
“Alright, ordering in it is, then.” he laughed and made his way to the kitchen to grab the Flyers for several Restaurants around the corner. “Any preferences?” he asked her, spreading out the Flyers in front of him on the table.

“Pizzaaa!” Felicity called out with a fist pump, making him laugh.

“Which one?”

“Surprise meee!” Felicity fist pumped again, waggling deeper into the soft couch cushions in the process. “As long as there are no pineapples, olives, tuna or onions on it.” she waved a finger while she spoke and Oliver couldn’t do anything but stare at her, gesturing around with her hand on his couch, her body completely hidden beneath the cushions.

“What about Pepperoni then?”

He didn’t hear a reply, but the thumb-up that waved over from the couch signaled him that he made the right choice.

 

30 Minutes later they sat on the couch and shared a large Pepperoni Pizza over some Cartoons on the TV.  
“Felicity… I don’t get it why you like Spongebob?! This is ridiculous.” he laughed, gesturing at the TV.

“Shut up, this is funny! And you don’t even have to watch it, just listening to Patrick is the best.” she grinned and fumbled for another slice of Pizza.

“Do you miss it? Watching TV, I mean…” he asked hesitantly, unsure if she was comfortable to break that subject.

“There are things I miss more than watching TV, to be honest. The only Shows I like are I can get on DVD, so I’m not missing out on anything while I’m blind.” she shrugged.

“What do you miss then?”

“Reading. And being able to do my job, working on a Computer. That’s what I miss the most, actually.” she admitted and Oliver couldn’t help but frown at her statement.

“I could read you a book sometime if you’d like.” he offered and Felicity smiled at him.  
"You can read? And here I thought Football Players were all just pure muscle but no school education." she giggled and Oliver gently slapped the back of her head with a laugh.  
After rubbing her head and thinking about it for a few seconds, she nodded with a smile. “Yeah, we could do that.”

“So, any plans for the evening? Or do you want to keep listening to that ridiculous Cartoon all day?” Oliver laughed while stealing Pepperonis from her slice of Pizza.

“How should I have plans? You practically kidnapped me and keep me hostage in this incredible apartment with this incredible couch,” she grinned. “I don’t know anyone or anything in this city besides Barry, so you are the one to make plans here, Mister.”

 

Oliver had to admit that he didn’t think this through. When he drove to LA and picked Felicity up, he didn’t think about how he would spend his time with her once she was in Starling City with him. And now that she sat next to him on the couch, sharing a large Pizza while they watched some Kids TV, he realized that the normal Dates that he took women to wouldn’t work with Felicity.

They couldn’t go to the cinema or go ice skating or Mini Golfing, simply because of her blindness. Oliver found himself once again completely out of his comfort zone with Felicity – and it didn’t mind him one bit.

“Would you like to take a walk through the City? It’s beautiful out there and I could show you around a bit.”

“Why Mister Queen, you want to show me around?” she grinned with a cocked eyebrow.

“Well maybe I do.” he grinned and got up from the couch, taking the pizza box with him.

 

After throwing the rest of their Pizza in the fridge and changing into some light clothes, Oliver and Felicity made their way downstairs to the parking garage. It was a sunny day in Starling City and Felicity enjoyed the sun warming her face.  
“This reminds me of Marbella, when you took me to that Zoo.” Felicity said while Oliver steered the Convertible through the streets into the City.

“That was a nice day.” Oliver smiled and took her hand in this, shifting gears with both hands.

“Yeah it was. I kind of miss it.” she confessed.

“We could do it again sometime. We could go back there as soon as your eyesight’s back!” Oliver spoke and he could immediately feel Felicity’s hand tense under his. She didn’t answer and Oliver caught a quick glance at her at a red light. She kept looking out the window through her sunglasses, seemingly deep in thoughts.

“Hey,” Oliver squeezed her hand and tilted her head in his direction with his finger, “don’t worry too much. Everything’s going to be fine. If you want to we can check for Hospitals and Treatments this evening, figuring out if there’s something that you might be interested in.” he gently offered and Felicity gave him a forced smile. Oliver decided to drop the topic for the moment but planned to discuss it with her again later that day over a glass of wine.

 

They arrived at Oliver’s chosen destination a few minutes later. They left the car and walked down the road and Felicity curiously looked around, trying to figure out any familiar sounds or noises.  
“Oliver, where are we?” she asked him after a while.

“We’re at the City Hall Park.” he replied with a smile before he pulled her away from the path onto the grass. They walked a few feet and when Oliver came to a halt and started rummaging around her, Felicity listened to him carefully.

When he saw her staring at him with a questioning face, waiting for him to say something, Oliver just smiled at her.  
“Stop staring holes into the air and sit down!” he grinned and took a seat himself.

“Onto the grass? Oliver, the dress – “

“There’s a blanket.”

“A blanket? Like a Picnic blanket?” she looked at him, slightly confused, but when she took off her Panda Flat, she could feel the soft fabric under her foot.

“When did you manage to pack that?” she smiled at him when she slowly sat down on the blanket and stretched her feet.

“I always have one in the car.” he shrugged.

 

They spent the afternoon in the Park, relaxing in the sun and Oliver told her about his Training and the new Sponsor. Felicity listened carefully, always curious to hear about Oliver and his life. Oliver though completely avoided asking her questions about her treatments or healing process, even though he really wanted to discuss it with her. That would be a topic for later in the evening.

Felicity decided to call Caitlin and give her a quick update. Caitlin was happy to hear she made it safely to Starling City but told Felicity that she missed her and that Donna had called twice this morning to check on her after their fight at the Doctor’s. Felicity decided to ignore her mother a little longer, not interested to have another discussion with her in the near future.

When the sun started to set and the wind picked up, they decided to head back to the car. When Oliver threw the blanket into the trunk, Felicity made her way to the passenger door.

“Hey, could we head to the City quickly? I need to pick up my new shoes.” Oliver asked her.

“Uh, sure. Can we walk? Or is it too far?”

“No it’s just around the corner.” he told her while locking up the car and securely wrapping an arm around her. Felicity leaned her head into his shoulder and Oliver slowly guided them through the streets to the Sports Store. He quickly picked up his clothes and they made their way back outside, turning around the corner when a familiar voice called Oliver’s name. When he stopped and turned around, he faced the person he wanted to see the least at that moment.

 

“Isabel.” he spoke through gritted teeth, his grip on Felicity’s shoulder tightening, half shielding her behind him and Felicity could feel him tensing up his entire body.

"Oliver. Long time no see. You never called me after you got back from Marbella.” she spoke in a harsh, arrogant tone that made Felicity shiver.

“I’ve been busy.” he answered tersely.  
Isabel eyed the woman that Oliver shielded behind him. “I see.”

“What do you want, Isabel? We have somewhere else to be, actually.” Oliver wasn’t in the mood to talk to Isabel at all, but being out on the street with Felicity, having to face his ex-girlfriend was something he would have liked to avoid at any cost.

“You’re avoiding me.”

“I am NOT avoiding you, Isabel. I simply don’t want to talk to you. Have a nice day.” he gritted out before he grabbed Felicity’s hand and started to walk them to the parked car, turning his back to Isabel. “Come on, let’s go.” he whispered to Felicity before he kissed her temple and started walking.

“You can’t run from this forever! You know you have to make a decision, soon!” Isabel called out, following them. When she grabbed Oliver’s hand to stop him, he harshly turned around, let go of Felicity’s hand and took two steps forward, right into Isabel’s personal space, towering over her.

“I am NOT discussing this with you right now, Isabel. NOT now and NOT here.” he gritted out, waving a finger dangerously close to her face. Felicity stood a few feet behind them, taken aback by Oliver’s harsh and angry tone. She never heard him say that name before, but judging from the way they were talking to each other, Felicity assumed she must be an ex of him. When she took a step back and tried to locate a wall to lean on, she tumbled over a flower pot and fell over it, landing on her butt.

When Felicity let out a gasp, Oliver’s head shot around and he was by her side in a second, ignoring the looks of his ex-girlfriend.  
“Are you okay?” Oliver asked her when he crouched down and helped Felicity up on her feet again.

“Ye – yeah, nothing happened. I just tripped over my own feet.” she answered, embarrassment clear in her voice while she straightened out her dress and wiped the dirt off her hand. Oliver immediately checked for her bandage-wrapped hand, but Felicity assured him she was fine.

“Since when do you work as a service dog for blind people, exactly?" Isabel suddenly spoke up behind them when Oliver started to walk them away again.

Felicity stopped in her tracks at Isabel’s comment and turned around. "Excuse me?" she shot at the woman standing opposite to her, not caring if she was Oliver’s ex-girlfriend or ex-neighbor or ex-whatever.

“One more word – “ Oliver warned Isabel before she could say anything else.

“Then what?” she spat out.

“This conversation is now over.” he warned her in a tone that left no room for objection before he made his way back to Felicity to finally leave the scene with her. Felicity wordlessly followed him, clearly shaken up by the situation a few moments ago. Oliver made his way to the car in long, fast steps and Felicity had trouble keeping up with him with her walking cast, but didn’t say anything. She could feel his tenseness in his entire behavior and decided to stay silent until they were at the car. Obviously Isabel wasn’t following them and she was happy about that, but they would have to have a conversation about what just happened later.

They silently got into the car and Oliver didn’t say a word during the entire way home. The silence between them was almost palpable. After they were down the road a bit, Oliver chanced a glance at Felicity. Her shoulders were stiff, her posture reserved and she was rubbing the palm of her right hand, trying to soothe the pain from the fall.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that.” he mumbled after a while but Felicity didn’t look up from her lap.

“Who was that?” she asked tentatively.

“Can we talk about that when we’re home? I don’t want to talk about that in the car now.” he asked her in a restrained tone, still clearly stressed and shaken up by what happened.  
Felicity didn’t reply, she just nodded slightly with a tight, forced smile.

 

When they arrived at his Loft, Felicity silently got inside and feeled her way into the living room where she sat down on the couch. She didn’t move, didn’t relax into the cushions; she just sat there and fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.  
Oliver took a seat next to her and placed two glasses of wine on the table. He was sure they’d need that with the upcoming conversation after what happened.  
She didn’t look up when he grabbed her hand and stroked it with her palm slowly.  
After a few minutes of silence, Felicity gathered her words and spoke up.  
“She’s your ex, right?”

Oliver was taken aback by her direct statement.  
“Yeah. She used to be my Manager and we were dating until a few weeks ago.”

Felicity just nodded and took in what Oliver was telling her.  
“So… What was this about?”

“Hm?” Oliver looked at her, slightly confused about what she meant.

“The decision that your ex was talking about. She seemed to be very pushy about the subject…”

Oliver started shifting around next to her and Felicity immediately sensed this.  
She turned around to face him.  
“Oliver? Is there something I should know? Something about the two of you?” she asked with an alarmed, worried voice. She turned her body in his direction, facing him while she waited for a reply.

When Oliver still didn’t say a word but she could hear him rub his face and exhaling loudly, Felicity got nervous.  
“I can’t see your facial expressions, remember? So please TALK to me because right now, your silence is freaking me out.” she admitted.

 

Oliver sat up on the Couch and took both her hands in his when he tried to find the right words.  
After a few moments, he spoke up in a restrained tone.  
“Felicity, you have to promise me you’ll never tell anyone about this. If the Media catches wind of this, I’m ruined!” he told her and Felicity clearly could hear the stress and worry in his voice.

“You’re really freaking me out now, what’s wrong, Oliver? Maybe I can help?”  
He huffed a laugh and just shook his head in defeat. “No, you can’t help. Just promise me to never tell anyone about this. Not even Tommy knows!”

“Of course I won’t tell anyone!” she assured him and gently stroked his palm with her thumb.

 

“Well uhm….” Oliver rubbed his forehead to soothe the wrinkles that started to form there. He didn’t know how to begin.  
He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.  
“I made a mistake a few weeks ago. I didn’t think about it by the time it happened and now I have to deal with the consequences.”

Felicity’s expression changed from worried to confused while Oliver spoke. “You’re not making any sense. What did you do?”

“Isabel, she… - before we broke up, she and I discussed an idea that she had about my career. As you know the Archers lost their Sponsor and we weren’t able to play for a very long time, resulting in us dropping from the market. Some of my Team members tried to leave and move to other Teams but due to the fact that we weren’t playing in the NFL anymore, no big Team was interested in them – and if they were, they offered them ridiculous contracts with only ¼ of the wage we made here. So that’s when Isabel came up with that plan…” Oliver inhaled deeply and looked into his lap, where his hand rested, intertwined with hers, rubbing soothing circles over his palm.

“She was in contact with the Manager of the Coast City main Quarterback and made plans to get me under contract with them – pretty much to the same conditions as I currently am, and to make me their main QB. Apparently their own QB was investing more time in his private activities than focusing on his sport, so they tried to get rid of him and put me in his place. Isabel and I wanted to move to Coast City together anyway, starting a new life there. Everything was planned out already. But to grant me the spot – and to keep the media out of this, Isabel had to pay the Coast City Manager a huge amount of money.”

“How much?” was all Felicity asked.

“300.000$. But that’s not the main problem. Shortly after we agreed to that, signed the contracts with the Manager of the Coast City Falcons and paid the money, I caught her screwing her coworker in her office.” Oliver’s face fell as he thought about that fateful day and Felicity could hear him sigh at the end of the sentence.

“I’m so sorry,” she told him in a calming voice, gently caressing his cheek, “I know how you feel.”

Oliver gave her a warm smile and tucked a strain of hair behind her ear.  
“It’s okay. It actually helped me realize that we weren’t meant for each other. Even though I realized that the hard way. Though the real problem now was cancelling the contract. Obviously I didn’t want to move to Coast City anymore and playing for the Falcons was something I would have never chosen for my career in the first place. But with Isabel it all made sense. I would have been able to play for a major League Team again and Isabel and I could have lived together. But now…”  
he sighed again and Felicity crouched over to his side, hugging him tightly.

“I still can’t follow completely.” Felicity admitted while she rested her head on his shoulder. “What is that decision that Isabel is talking about?”

“Well, the problem is now that I cancelled the contract after the Falcons kicked off their main QB from the Team. And now the Manager forces us to take actions because they don’t have a main QB any more. I either have to pay the contractual penalty or take my rightful place in the team by the end of the month.”

“I’m scared to ask but what if you choose neither of these options?”

“They threatened both Isabel and me to expose the whole story to the Media, that includes the other QB getting fired because of me and not for the reasons they told him. And that would mean Isabel could never do her job anymore and my reputation would be ruined. No NFL Team would put me under contract anymore.”  
Oliver let out a deep sigh and looked down at his lap, too scared to see her reaction to what he just told her.

Felicity sat next to him, her legs draped over his lap, and tried to process everything that Oliver just told her. After a few seconds, she raised her head and put a hand on his chest, bringing some space between their heads before she spoke up.  
“How much would the contractual penalty be?”

“5 Million. And it’s not that I can rob the piggy bank for that amount of money. Even with my wage I don’t have that much money stored.” he sighed.

“How much time do you have left until you need to make a decision?”

“Around 3 weeks. Why do you ask?”

“I need you to bring me the contract and everything that you received from that Manager of the other Team. And I need you to help me work through them. Maybe there’s a way we can get you out of it.” Felicity spoke with a confident tone and Oliver looked at her for a second, completely dumb-founded.

“Felicity, there isn’t anything we can do, trust me. Isabel checked that contract several times. We either have to pay the fee, or they’ll expose us.”

“And I need you to set up an appointment with Isabel.” she spoke up and Oliver’s brows shot up in surprise. “I heard you on the streets, remember? And to me she didn’t sound like she would be willing to wait any longer to discuss whatever she has to say with you. So it’s better we get over it sooner rather than later.” she gave him a reassuring smile. “And if you’re okay with it, I’d like to be present when you talk to her.”

If Oliver’s eyebrows could have risen up higher, they would have at that moment. He looked at her, completely confused and taken aback by her confident behavior after what he just told her.  
“S – sure… but, why?”

“Oh I’d like to hear what she has to say about all this.” she smiled. “Not that I don’t believe you. But it’s always good to hear two sides of a Story when planning to fight a contract that has been signed by multiple parties. Maybe she knows stuff you don’t know yet. It could be helpful.” she grinned.

“Wait, what do you mean - ‘fighting a contract’? Felicity, this can’t get out to the public by any chance. I don’t even trust any lawyers in this. One word to the media, and I’m ruined!” he worried.

“I’m not a lawyer. And I won’t tell anyone.” she winked at him and Oliver still couldn’t follow her but before he could say anything else, Felicity spoke up again.

“But before I can see if I can help you, I need the contracts everything else that you have from the Meetings with that people. And you need to get Isabel here!” she shooed him off the couch. Oliver got up and walked to office, still completely confused, not able to understand what was happening right now.

When he got back with the files and sat down next to her again, Felicity took the files he placed in her lap.  
“I’m going to need your help with this. You’ll have to read everything to me, multiple times probably, because I can’t do this on my own. But before we do this,” she grabbed around Oliver and pulled his phone out of his back pocket, holding it in his direction, “call Isabel. Set up an appointment for later tonight.”

Oliver took the phone after a moment of hesitation and dialed Isabel’s number. She picked up after a few seconds and Felicity could hear her snotty tone coming from Oliver’s phone. She just rolled her eyes at that but didn’t say a word.  
Oliver set up an appointment with Isabel for 8pm that night, meeting at his Loft. He decided not to tell Isabel that Felicity would be there as well, that was something she would figure out soon enough.

 

Together they worked through all the contract details for several hours and Felicity listened carefully to everything Oliver read her, ordering him to write down a few short comments and important notes to a piece of paper. They were putting away all files when suddenly the doorbell rang. Oliver quickly locked up the files and led Felicity into his office, helping her into a seat next to his desk chair before he went to answer the door.

Felicity could hear Isabel talking when she entered the Loft, but she couldn’t make out what Isabel was saying to Oliver. When the office door opened and Isabel stepped inside, followed by Oliver, Felicity looked up from her seat, but didn’t move a muscle. She knew Isabel wasn’t offering her a hand anyway, so she didn’t bother in getting up either.  
“What does she want here?”

Before Oliver could say anything, Felicity spoke up.  
“ _SHE_ is Oliver’s girlfriend and I am here to clean up the mess that you caused!” Felicity said in a firm tone, keeping a fake smile plastered on her face. Oliver took a seat next to her in his office chair and offered Isabel to sit down opposite of them.

“Does she know?” Isabel asked in a snappy tone.

Felicity yet again beat Oliver to it when he wanted to speak up.  
“Yes _‘SHE’_ knows. By the way there’s no need to speak like I’m not in the room. I’m blind, I’m not deaf.” Felicity smiled with an arrogant tone. This wasn’t Felicity’s way of behaving at all, but with that person she was sure to give as good as she got.

“You wanted to talk, now talk.”  
Oliver suddenly spoke up and broke up the bitching contest that apparently was about to start between his girlfriend and his ex.

“Right.” Isabel gave him a forced smile. “Have you made a decision yet? You know there’s not much time left and while you enjoy your good life in Marbella I am actually worried about my job and my reputation!” she called out, a little too loud for Oliver’s liking.

“Mind your tone, please. And of course I thought about the contract. But since you and I are not a couple any more, to put it mildly, moving to Coast City isn’t an option for me anymore. I would have never considered that contract in the first place if it hadn’t been for you and our plans!”

“Well, then pay the penalty fee.” Isabel just shrugged, unfazed by Oliver’s harsh tone.

“Oh it’s not that I have fucking 5 million Dollars stored in my drawer for occasions like this!” he spat out and Felicity had to put a hand on his thigh to calm him down a bit.

“Then ask your father. I don’t care! But I won’t let you ruin my reputation, Oliver!” Isabel said before she got up and made her way to the door. When Felicity heard her heels click on the marble floor of his office, she spoke up.

 

“As far as I know, your signature is under that contract just like Oliver’s. That means you’re in the very same boat as him. Which means, if that contract can’t be forfeited, the penalty fee can and WILL be split up. Trust me; I will make sure of that.”

When Felicity heard the clicking of the heels stop abruptly, she smiled to the door, knowing Isabel would look at her.  
“You see, this is very much your problem as it is Oliver’s. You don’t get to threaten him to actions just so you won’t lose your job and reputation and simply walk out of this office.”

Oliver’s head moved between the two women in his office like watching a Tennis match.

“What do you want?” Isabel spoke up after a few seconds of silence.  
“The only thing **we** want,” Felicity smiled, taking Oliver’s hand in hers, “is for you to find a way to get out of this contract because you caused that mess in the first place and it’s not just Oliver’s job to clean it up.”

“Don’t you think I already tried that?” Isabel spat out, her patience clearly wearing thin.

“I don’t know… maybe you were too busy _“incorporating”_ your new coworker.” Felicity told her with a straight face and Oliver had to chuckle. When Isabel shot him a look of death, Oliver’s laugh died though.

“This isn’t over!” Isabel warned them and grabbed the door handle to leave the office.

“Indeed. We expect to hear from you in a timely manner with helpful ideas on how to solve this problem. I’m sure you can help yourself out.” Felicity smiled at Isabel until she could hear the office door click shut. She kept a straight face until they both could hear the Loft door open and close. Oliver quickly got up and checked the Loft to make sure Isabel was really gone when he heard the elevator doors close and returned to the office.

 

“WHAT.WAS.THAT?” he asked her with a tone mixed between complete shock and utter fascination for the woman still sitting in her spot next to his desk chair.

“I can’t believe that person is your ex-girlfriend!” Felicity grinned when she slumped back into the seat. “If she looks like she sounds, I never want to meet her.”

Oliver had to laugh at that statement. “What do you want me to reply to that?” he asked her.

“Nothing, please. I don’t want to know.” she laughed. “That woman is already giving me a headache and I just met her like 5 hours ago.”

“I’m sorry. I really didn’t want to drag you into all this.” Oliver admitted when he rounded the desk and pulled her in his arms, peppering her hair with kisses.

“So you planned to hide this from me forever?” she leaned back and looked up.

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just… I don’t know what to do and you have enough of stuff to deal with on your own plate, I didn’t want to add mine to that.” he sighed.

“Hey,” she wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, “we’re in this together now. I dragged you into my shit as well, remember? And that’s not exactly how I planned it either.” She admitted with a smile.

“I don’t know what to do. Football is the only thing I’ve ever done in my life, I can’t lose that.” he sighed and rested his forehead against hers.

“What Isabel said about your father… that he could help…”

“I’m not going to ask him!” Oliver cut her off immediately.

“I’m not saying you should. But could he?”

“He could. But I’m not so sure he would. He never approved of my Sports career, he’d rather see me taking up the Company and step into his shoes one day. That’s why I can’t and won’t ask him. I’m not going to ask my father to right my wrongs, Felicity. I won’t give him the satisfaction that I failed like he predicted all those years.”

“Oliver, you didn’t fail. Things just didn’t go as planned. Stuff happens; it’s just how we deal with it now to solve the problem.” she gave him a reassuring smile.  
Oliver looked at her in awe.

“Where did I find you and why haven’t I found you sooner?” he asked her before he leaned down to capture her lips with soft kiss. When Felicity wrapped her arms around his neck, Oliver leaned down and picked her up, wrapping her legs securely around his back.  
Felicity squealed in surprise.  
“I missed that.” she grinned when Oliver carried her out of the office and into the bedroom.

“What are we going to do about the contract and Isabel now?” she asked him when he climbed the stairs with her in his arms.

“I’ll tell you what we do… we stop talking about any of that and enjoy our evening. There's stuff I'd rather do with you now than discussing contracts. I’m exhausted and the contract will still be there tomorrow. And god help me, so will Isabel.”

“I like the way you think.” Felicity grinned. “Besides, I could use a good stretching now.” she said while stretching her back and Oliver stopped mid-way to the bedroom. When Felicity realized her innuendo, her entire face turned red. “Oh my god, I meant stretching my legs! Not getting stretched in a sexual kind of – I’m making it worse, right?” she rambled and Oliver had to laugh.

“Yes you do, but I like it.” he grinned and climbed the last steps before entering the bedroom.

 

When Felicity excused herself to the bathroom, Oliver quickly cleaned up the mess that she left the morning while looking for her stuff. Once he had everything stuffed in her bags again, he took the tray and brought it down to the kitchen.  
When he got back upstairs, Felicity stood in the room, dressed in nothing but her panties and a bra, searching for her sleep shorts. The tattooed wings on her back moved with every flex of her shoulders and Oliver could only stare at them. His mouth watered at the sight in front of him and for a moment he just enjoyed looking at her while she digged through the sheets, trying to find her clothes. The last days had been exhausting for both of them and there hadn’t been time for any intimacy, and he really missed that. When she sighed in frustration, unable to locate her shorts, Oliver pushed himself away from the door frame and walked over to her.

“Need a little help?” he whispered into her neck when he wrapped his arms around her body, pressing her back firmly to his chest.

“I can’t find my sleep shorts.” she pouted and Oliver gently stroked his fingers up and down her ribs, making her shiver. When his lips found their way to her neck, he mumbled "God I want you so bad." before gently sucking on her skin. Felicity whimpered, squirming.

“What are you doing, Oliver?” she whispered.

“What I should have done days ago, Felicity” he told her in a low, seductive voice, kissing her neck, his lips dragging along her jawbone before he turned her head to meet her lips, engaging in a deep kiss. He turned her around in his arms, pulling her closer as he parted her lips with his tongue.

“Bed. Now.” was all Felicity could get to say at that.

Oliver cupped her ass with his palms and lifted her up. She immediately hooped her legs around his torso, grinding her hips into his in the process. Oliver gently placed her on the bed, and unhooked her legs behind him while he kissed and licked a path down her body to her belly button. When Felicity moaned softly and arched her back, Oliver reached behind her and unhooked her bra, slipping it off. Felicity moaned in delight as she felt his warm tongue drawing circles around her hardened nipples. He was teasing her, but she didn't mind. Soon he took a nipple into his mouth, sucking gently as his hand pleasured her other breast, slightly pinching and twisting the nipple between his fingers. Felicity moaned out loud, running her fingers through his short blonde hair. Oliver grinned proudly, feeling her writhe under his ministrations, growling playfully as he moved his kisses downwards her body.  
Oliver started fidgeting with the waistband of her panties, hooking his thumbs under it but never pulling it down. He gently rubbed her hipbones and kissed a path down her thighs.

"Oliver..." she whispered, letting out a soft sigh.

"God you're perfect, " he moaned softly before he hooked two fingers under the waistband of her panties again and gave them a slight tug. Felicity immediately lifted her hips, letting Oliver pull her panties down, his erection becoming even harder when he saw her wet center.

"Felicity..." he moaned, leaning in, lifting one of her legs over his shoulder, gently opening her up for him before trailing kisses up and down her thigh again, never touching her wet center.

 

"Ugh!" Felicity whimpered, gently thrusting her hips towards his face, so turned on by him.

"Ah ah ah," Oliver grinned, "patience, my love." he teased her, even though his body was telling him badly to taste her that very second. Felicity whined softly as Oliver leaned in and gently bit her inner thighs before soothing the pain with his tongue. His lips got closer and closer to her hot center and as he got barely an inch from her, he couldn't contain himself any longer, extending his tongue into her pussy, licking her swollen clit and up and down for the first time.

Felicity moaned loudly, her back arching off the mattress, hands gripping the sheets tightly.  
“You taste so damn good,” Oliver moaned and he had to grip her hips to still her movements.

He moved his finger along her folds, up and down, the gentle, teasing caress nearly causing her to slide off the mattress. “Tell me what you like,” he said in a calm tone between teasing her clit with his tongue and finger.

“I like everything you’re doing so far.” was the only thing Felicity could choke out.

Sliding over her clit, he rubbed the swollen nub for a few moments before moving lower and toying with her wet opening with the tip of his finger. “And this?” he prompted.

“Also good,” she choked out.

 

Before Felicity could blink, that talented finger pushed into her, deep inside, drawing a moan from her throat. Pleasure swarmed her body like a herd of excited butterflies. Oliver’s beard stubble scraped against her hyper-sensitized thighs, his mouth hot and eager as he pressed it to her aching pussy. And his tongue… oh lord. His tongue lapped her up, long sensual strokes that stoked the fire building in her belly and made her toes curl and—yup, she was going to come.

She gripped his head tightly, pressing it deeper into her pussy when her legs started to shake. When she arched her back off the bed again, Oliver gently sucked on her clit and sent her over the edge.

Felicity came with a moaned “Oh” and could feel her entire body spasm before she fell back onto the mattress. Oliver let her ride out the orgasm and gently kissed and licked her through it.

She cleared her throat when she realized how husky her voice sounded. “I couldn’t help it… it was… too good.”

“Don’t apologize for coming, beautiful.” Oliver smiled at her and got up from the bed, shredding off his Jeans and T-Shirt in the process. When he saw Felicity roll to the side, he quickly reached up with two large hands and kept her in place. “And don’t even think about getting up. That orgasm was just to take the edge off. Now I can really get started.” he told her and Felicity could hear the smirk in his tone.

Before she could ask what his definition of getting started was he’d already pressed his lips back to her clit.  
“Oliver, you already—” her voice died in her throat as he swirled his tongue over her.  
Okay, so this man was obviously more skilled than any of her past lovers. Not that she compared them.

Another moan slipped out of her mouth as he sucked her clit between his warm lips again. Her entire body throbbed with restless arousal, as if the violent orgasm he’d just given it wasn’t enough. And no, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more and Oliver made her realize that.

When he pressed two fingers into her, curling them upwards in the process, Felicity felt it wouldn’t take her long to climax again. God, she was close. Pleasure built up inside her like water against a dam. All it would take was one more stroke of his tongue, one more thrust of his fingers to send her over the edge again. Oliver pressed his fingers hard against her G-spot, sucked even harder on her clit, and she exploded.

The climax was just as intense as the first, just as fierce and all-consuming, and this one didn’t end. It just roared on, tearing through her body like a wildfire while bursts of bliss sparked her nerve endings.

“Oliver,” she moaned, fighting for breath under his never ending ministrations, “It’s too much… it’s… I can’t take it… oh God.”  
Rather than release her, he continued to tongue her, his fingers sliding in and out with long, deep thrusts until she was coming again. Or maybe she had never stopped coming the first time. Who knew. Who cared.

Felicity’s pulse pumped in her ears, her breasts throbbed beneath her trembling fingers and she just realized that at some point she must have started kneading her own breasts and flicking her nipples while Oliver worked her through her third orgasm. And the pleasure - it never ended. The dam had broken and a rush of pure rapture poured through her in uncontrollable waves.

“Felicity,” Oliver groaned, lifting his head after planting one last soft kiss to her clit.

She gasped for air, her body so sated and numb she couldn’t move a single limb or muscle.

Oliver slowly kissed his way up her body until her hovered above her and gave her nipple a soft lick. When he moved further up, painting a path along her collarbone with his tongue, Felicity arched her head back and inhaled deeply. When he captured her lips for a demanding kiss, she could taste herself on his tongue. She licked along his lips and gently sucked on his lower lip until Oliver deepened the kiss, enjoying the warmth of her mouth, sharing her taste with her tongue. Lifting her arms, she twined them around his strong, corded neck and pulled him closer, needing to feel that rock-hard body pressed against her.

 

"Are you nervous?" he asked softly, leaning closer to her.

Felicity gave him a hesitant smile. "After what you just did to me? No, I'm not nervous. Why do you ask?"

He reached out and brushed a loose curl behind her ear. "Your heart… it's pounding."

She touched his chest just above his heart. "Yours too."

“You know we don’t have to do anything you don’t want.” Oliver told her with a silent tone while stroking her face and body.

“I want to, it’s just… doing this with the blindness is still pretty weird. And I know I must sound crazy right now after what you just did to me a few minutes ago, but – “

“I got an idea!” Oliver called out and quickly got up from the bed. Felicity leaned up on her elbows and waited to hear any sounds coming from the room to make out what Oliver could be doing. She heard a drawer being opened and closed before Oliver returned to the bad and climbed on it again.  
“Close your eyes,” Oliver told her and crouched behind her.

Felicity looked confused. “Oliver, it’s not that I can use my eyes anyway, so – “

“Trust me, close your eyes.” he assured her.  
When Felicity closed her eyes and waited for Oliver to do whatever he was about to do, she could feel a soft silk band being draped over her eyes and closed behind her head.

“Too tight?” he asked her and knotted the ends to a soft knot.

“No, it’s fine,” she told him when she touched the soft material covering her eyes, “but I don’t understand?”

“That way you’re not unable to see because of the blindness but because I blindfolded you. At least I hope the blindfold gives you that feeling? If it’s uncomfortable, I’ll take it off – “he hesitated and started fidgeting with the knot again, when Felicity’s hand stopped him.

“This is perfect.” she whispered with a slight blush.  
Oliver smiled and gently pushed her back into the mattress before he kicked off his boxer briefs and slid between her legs, placing hot wet kisses up her collarbone to her neck.

“If you want to stop at any point, just say it and we’ll stop.” he whispered into her ear before nipping on her earlobe. Felicity gasped, unable to form a clear thought.  
She just wanted to feel him.

 

When his lips went over her collarbone again and down her breasts, she relaxed into the pillows and gently stroked his head with her nails, earning a low moan from him. She did it again and Oliver gently bit onto her nipple in return. His lips wandered to the other breast when she could feel his hand reach beside her and heard a drawer pulled open.  
“What are you doing?” she half-moaned.

“Condom.” he mumbled while flicking his tongue over her nipple.

When Felicity placed a hand on his shoulder and stilled the hand that rummaged through open drawer, Oliver looked up at her in surprise.  
“I’m covered… and I’m clean.” she gave him an honest, but shy smile.

“Me too,” he smiled. “Clean, I mean… not covered.” Felicity let out a laugh that quickly died again when she heard the drawer being shut and felt Oliver remove the walking cast from her left leg. The bandage wrap under it still sat on her leg tightly, but Felicity was happy to have the weight off her leg for a while. When she felt Oliver move above her until she could feel his breath on her neck she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gently scratched his back with her fingernails, earning a hiss from him. Oliver grabbed her left thigh and wrapped the leg around his waist, opening her up for him.

He entered her then in one long, slow glide. She was tight, warm and so wet that he wanted never to leave her.

A low rumbling groan erupted from the pit of his throat when Felicity slowly circled her hip, trying to accommodate to his size.  
“Felicity… don’t move.” he growled as his head snapped back up. “This will be over sooner than we want if you move… just, give me a second.” he groaned, stilling her hips with his huge palms. Felicity clenched her inner muscles with a sheepish smile, hoping that wouldn’t set him off, but the loud groan that rumbled through Oliver told her otherwise.

After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and slowly started thrusting into her with shallow movements. Felicity’s head fell back into the pillows and Oliver captured her lips with a deep kiss, sharing her taste with her, when he started to thrust harder. He swallowed the long moan that escaped her mouth, never breaking the kiss.  
After a few hard thrusts, Felicity swung her other leg around his waist, trying to pull him deeper into her. Oliver’s lips trailed over her chin down her neck to her earlobe when he picked up the pace.

“Oh fuck yes,” she moaned as Oliver thrust into her. She tried to bite her lip but a whimper of pure delight left her mouth starting out high and morphing to a long moan at Oliver’s next thrust. One of his hands slid between them, slowly circling her clit while he thrust in and out of her. He kept a slow but steady pace, pushing in completely in every thrust. Felicity curled her hands around Oliver’s arms; loving the feel of muscles tensing to hold himself up.

“Harder,” she whined and Oliver buried his face in her neck.

He adjusted her pulled her right leg from his back and adjusted it over his shoulder, and the snap of his hips became more forceful, his dick hitting harder on each thrust. The grip on his arms tightened and Felicity leaned her forehead against his shoulder in sheer pleasure. He turned his head and licked over the sensitive skin of her neck. When he took a section between his teeth and bit down, sucking greedily on the flesh, Felicity let out a moan. The steady pace Oliver kept was speeding up and his breathing quickened; they were both reaching the limits of their self control.

“Oliver, please,” Felicity begged. She needed just a little bit more from him.

“Yes?” he whispered into her neck.

She nipped at his neck and gently sucked on his earlobe.  
“Harder… faster… please, Oliver.”

Oliver just answered her with a rough kiss. He pulled out of her and Felicity almost threw a fit but Oliver stepped off the edge of the bed and dragged her down the length, pulling her by her thighs. He leaned over her, capturing her mouth in a hungry kiss, draping her arms around his neck.

“Legs too,” he said, his voice low and rough. Oliver pulled her up off the bed and Felicity curled her legs around him.

“Hold onto me.” he whispered, gathering her in his arms.

Felicity didn’t know what was happening when she felt him walking through the room until her back pressed against a wall. She slipped a little but Oliver held her right, holding her up between the wall and the thrust of his hips. She dug her fingers into the back of his neck, both for stability and as she cried out over the new depth he was hitting. Oliver fucked her hard and fast into that wall. He pressed their foreheads together and Felicity wished she could see him at that moment.

When he pressed his head into the crook of her neck, Felicity sucked on his pulse point between moans and sighs leaving her.  
And then she heard Oliver mumble. So silent, she wasn’t sure she heard him right.  
‘I love you’  
He whispered into her shoulder. Over and over again.

A grin spread on her face and she realized how different this was.  
This wasn’t just sex.  
It may have looked like it, and sounded like it, and even felt like it but this was more than just sex. Sex, pure fucking, was just physical; nothing more than two people tangled together in a race to sexual release. Oliver and her weren’t just having sex. He may have been fucking her hard and fast but he was doing it because she wanted him to and Oliver always gave her what she wanted. Every movement of his strong, sweat-slicked body was more than what it seemed.

His arms wrapped tightly around her did more than just holding her up; they promised.  
_‘I will always be there for you.’_

Every thrust of his hips did more than just push her closer to orgasm, every single once forcefully told her _‘I will always give you what you want.’_  
Oliver wasn’t just fucking her, he was declaring his love for her and he was using his entire body to make sure she heard him. Her whimpers and cried hid the actual sobs that Felicity couldn’t explain that were threatening. If she wouldn’t be wearing the blindfold, she was sure a tear would have escaped her as well. And Oliver knew. He heard her. He didn’t say anything; he just tilted his head and kissed her with his whole heart, reassuring her _Yes Felicity. I’m yours, I love you.’_

Every single one of her senses got lost in Oliver; the taste of his tongue on her mouth, the scent of sweat and Oliver and sex in the air, the fucking incredible feel of his dick inside of her. When he moved one of his hands between her legs again and started rubbing her clit, Felicity fell over the edge again. She clutched at him as her limbs tensed, every continuing thrust pushing her past her limits and she didn’t know whether or not she wanted him to stop.

“Oliver!” she cried softly.

Oliver covered her mouth with his, thrusting hard a few more times before the gasp and quiver that shook his whole body told her that he fell over the edge, too. He came inside of her, moaning her name. His motions slowed to a stop and he reluctantly pulled out of her, gently pulling her away from the wall and back on the bed.  
Oliver, still panting, kissed her forehead and collapsed next to her onto the mattress.

 

They lay on their sides, facing each other, and Felicity started to fumble with the knot on her blindfold. When she got rid of it, she scooted closer to Oliver and tangled her legs with his, laying an arm over his side.

Oliver tilted her chip up with his fingers and kissed her with a gentleness that was the polar opposite of the rough sex they were still recovering from.

“I love you.” he whispered, so silent Felicity almost didn’t hear it, when he pulled her into his chest, pulling the sheets over them.

 

Felicity was overwhelmed with emotion. She could feel the tears threatening as she snuggled into the man that she loved. She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t tell him that she loved him too, she wasn't ready yet, but she was sure he knew. She curled into the warmth of his body, of his love, and closed her eyes, sighing contently.

She was happier than she had been in a very long time, despite her current situation. It wasn’t just the sex they just had; even though the sex had been amazing. She had had sex before, but this was better. This, to be so thoroughly fucked by a man whose every kiss, every lick, every thrust, touch and bite was a reflection of how much he loved her – this was infinitely better and she couldn’t wait to explore more of this love with him.


	14. new and old friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family, smut, and a little bit more family in this Chapter.  
> Just read it! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the response to the last Chapter has been HUGE; thanks so much for that!  
> When I started writing this Story, I never guessed it would find so many Fans. After a few Chapters it completely morphed into something that I myself am addicted to now, as well.  
> We're a little over halfway in the Story, and there's still a LOT of things going to happen... Tommy and Laurel's wedding coming up soon, Felicity meeting Oliver's parents, a little bit more of Isabel... but I'm not going to spoil any more. :)  
> Have fin with this Chapter!  
> Oh and gigigirl31... this one's for you: ♥

Oliver woke up on Friday morning with Felicity lying naked in his bed, their legs intertwined, her hair fanned out over his chest. At least he thought it was Friday.

Everything that had happened since Thursday afternoon ran together in a fuzzy blur. The fight with Isabel, him telling Felicity he loved her, Felicity signaling him she loved him back. Having sex with Felicity in his bed, and against the wall, and in the shower, and… well, those events are a little clearer in his blurry timeline. They had stayed naked until late afternoon until both became hungry and Oliver had to take a call from Diggle, reminding him about the Conference in the evening before they hopped into bed again for another hour of snuggling until Oliver had to leave.

 

Felicity lay across the bed, propped up on Oliver’s chest. She was drawing circles over his abs when she heard him yawn, noticing that he was awake. She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the stomach.

Oliver pulled her into his arms and gave her a sweet kiss. Felicity sighed and leaned deeper into his embrace, relaxing every sore muscle in her body.

“I love you”, she whispered into his neck. One of her hands trailed down his chest, gently grazing up and down his stomach, sending sparks through her fingertips.

Oliver couldn’t hide the wide smile that covered his face when he heard Felicity finally say the words he craved to hear from her for so long now.  
“I love you too.”

She planted a kiss on his cheek and he could feel her lips spread into a smile.  
Oliver wrapped his arm lazily over her naked back and closed his eyes, sighing with contentment. The only thing better than waking up next to Felicity was Felicity telling him she loved him.  
This beautiful, vibrant woman lying naked next to him, telling him she loved him and he loved her. And it was impossible for him not to love her. It felt like Felicity breathed life into Oliver again. He had been rejected too many times in the past, his Playboy-past and all the mistakes haunting him whenever he tried to build up a serious relationship, and he had resigned himself to a life of solitude, focusing on his Sports Career only, especially after what happened with Isabel. And then Felicity came along, demanding his heart and offering hers in return, and she brought him back to life.

Felicity had saved him from himself and he loved her for that. Oliver’s heart was so light, finally free from all these doubts, that when she told him she needed him, he couldn’t hold it in any more.  
When they shared that deep, intimate connection last night, he knew that was all he would ever need. He loved her with all his heart and something inside of him told him that he would never stop loving her. Not that it mattered – he never _wanted_ to stop loving her.

 

When Felicity let out a small laugh, Oliver looked down at her.  
“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” she smiled, “I was just thinking about how life often takes strange routes… I mean, we met in Europe, during a vacation. And now look at us.”

“I will never forget the day I first say you.” Oliver admitted with a smile. “You were so beautiful.” he whispered, tucking a stray lock of her blonde hair behind her ear.

Felicity blushed. “I was wearing casts and was covered in bruises. By the way Caitlin and my Mom sounded when they first saw me after the accident I’m pretty sure I looked anything but beautiful” she laughed.

“I didn’t care for the casts or bruises. It was your smile that fascinated me from the very first second you were being carried out to the Pool. Even Thea saw that.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she caught you staring!” Felicity laughed.

Oliver snorted at that. “Yeah well, maybe she did. But I couldn’t look away from you. There was something about you, and it wasn’t the fact that you were hurt. At first I was almost 100% sure you were with someone, and it wasn’t that I cared much for that in the past. If there was a woman that interested me, I made a move, not caring if she had a partner or not. But with you? For the first time in years I was unsure, almost completely out of my comfort-zone.” he admitted and Felicity listened closely while he spoke, thinking back to the day they met.

“Oh I can relate to that _‘out of your comfort zone’_ – thing.” she laughed. “You know, normally I’m not blind and limping when I agree to go on a date with some super hot sounding stranger.”

“Hot stranger? That’s what I was for you?” Oliver laughed and looked down at her.

“Absolutely.” she grinned. “And in some way you still are.”  
Her voice dropped a bit, excitement slowly leaving.  
“I know you so well by now but somehow I still don’t know you at all. I can’t see your facial expressions, your smile when you laugh, or when you send me a look from time to time – and don’t deny it, I know you do!” she smiled and Oliver snorted. “I would love to see your eyes, your body, your Apartment, everything that’s… - you.” she sighed.  
“Caitlin’s Apartment, basically everything about LA is a life I know. I can remember those things, even if I can’t see them right now, but I at least have an imagination of it. But with you and your life here in Starling City? For the first time I have to admit it’s like a book with blank pages that I can’t fill with anything but ideas of how it might look. And I hate mysteries, they bug me. Facts, that’s what I love. Sure, you could tell me your eyes are blue and your hair is blonde, but it still doesn’t paint a clear picture in my head that I can rely on. And I’m scared to paint that picture. What if I paint you in my head and when I get my eyesight back, you’re completely different? It would mean I’d have fooled my brain all this time, feeding it with a wrong image.” Felicity sighed and frowned at the thought.

Oliver looked down at her in worry, pulling her head out of the crook of his neck.  
“Are you worried you might be disappointed when you get your eyesight back?”

“NO! No, that’s not what I meant. And I’m not such a person, Oliver. I don’t care for looks, it’s the character and heart I fall in love with.” she smiled at him. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you’re hot as hell.” she smirked.

“But?”

“But still it gives me an uneasy feeling. I feel like loving you like I never loved someone before, but then again I don’t even know you half as good as I knew my worst ex-boyfriend. Does that even make sense?” she chewed her lip nervously and Oliver pulled it from her teeth with his thumb, soothing over it.

“Yeah it does.” he kissed her forehead and listened closely while Felicity rambled on.

“I know all these little things about you and it’s awesome. I love the way you smell, the grumbling sound you make when you’re fast asleep, the little fresh scar on your hipbone or that mole on your lip. But I would love to know about all these basics, too…” she sighed again in frustration, her head dropping onto his chest again.  
Oliver grabbed her face in both hands and pulled her up face to face with him when he spoke.

“Hey, don’t think too much, beautiful. Everything’s going to be fine,” he assured her. “As soon as I’m back from the Conference, we’ll check with Doctor’s here in Starling and see what they can do. And you even said it yourself; your eyes are getting better. Bright lights don’t hurt you that much anymore; that’s a good sign.”   
Oliver pulled her into his embrace and gently kissed her temple. “Don’t let the incident with your Mom pull you down. Parents aren’t always right, trust me… I know what I’m talking about.” he laughed and Felicity couldn’t help but smile at that, too.

 

They spent some more time in bed, snuggling into each other’s arms before Oliver had to get up and get ready for the Conference at the Starling Archers.  
“I won’t be gone for long, promised.” he pulled her into an embrace and gave her a passionate kiss before heading downstairs to the parking garage.

 

Felicity took the time alone to call Barry. She hadn’t talked to her cousin in a while and now that she was in Starling City, it was a great chance to get in touch with him again and maybe even arrange a Date. With only her Mom left of her family and no other siblings to hang around with, she missed the presence of her cousin. He was one of the very few family members she could so easily hang out with, who loved her tech babble and ramblings about new technology just as much as she did. When Barry moved to Starling City for his new Job though, Felicity was pretty much left alone with her mom in Las Vegas. They kept in touch through the phone regularly and Barry even visited her every once in a while, but to Felicity it wasn’t the same. When she left for College though, she quickly gained a new friend in Caitlin. Thinking of her, Felicity made a mental note to also call her best friend today and see how things are going in Los Angeles.

 

A soft knock coming from the Loft door jerked her out of her thoughts. Alerted, Felicity leaned up from her chilling position on the couch and immediately tried to locate her mobile phone that lay on the table in front of her while she stared in the direction of the Apartment entrance. ‘Maybe it’s just a neighbor.’ she thought to herself, when a female voice appeared through the frosted glass door.  
“Ollie, I can hear the TV running. I know you’re there. Open up or I’ll let myself in!”

Felicity jerked up from the couch in shock, unable to move a muscle, not knowing what to do. This wasn’t her Apartment, she couldn’t simply walk to the door and answer it, especially not with a female standing on the outside that she didn’t know. After the incident with Isabel, Felicity wasn’t too interested to meet any more women in Oliver’s life, thank you very much.

When she heard the clicking of a key and the door pressed open, Felicity just wanted to run away but stood frozen in the living room. She grabbed her phone so tightly her palm started to hurt, when the female voice entering the Loft became a lot clearer.  
“Ollie, for goodness sake, stop avoiding me! You know that I – who are you?” the female voice stopped abruptly and Felicity could feel the woman’s presence right in front of her, her tone sounding confused and a slight bit annoyed. Felicity opened her mouth to speak but didn’t know what to say.

“Wait, you’re that girl from Marbella! Felicity, right?” the female voice spoke up, suddenly sounding not so annoyed any more.

“Uhm… yeah, that’s me.” she answered, still very apprehensive and nervous.

“It’s so cool to finally meet you!” the woman practically squealed and threw her arms around Felicity, who still remained completely frozen in place, keeping the death grip on her mobile phone.

“And you are?” she manages to speak up after clearing her throat.

The woman took a step back after releasing Felicity from the very one-sided hug.

“I’m Thea, Ollie’s sister.” she smiled across the room.

“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you. Oliver talks about you a lot.” Felicity smiles, trying to cover her nervousness.

“Oh don’t lie; I know he doesn’t do that.” Thea shrugged and plopped onto the couch. After a few seconds, Felicity also sat down, even though a bit stiff. “Speaking of the devil… where is he?”

“He had to go to a Conference for his Football Team. But he told me he’d be back soon.” Felicity answered, still sitting nervously next to the young woman on Oliver’s couch.

“Well then it’s time for some coffee while we wait for him, I guess.” Thea announced and got up from the couch, making a beeline for the kitchen.

“Oh coffee would be awesome!” Felicity suddenly squealed. “I have no idea how this coffee maker works and didn’t have any coffee besides the one Oliver made in the morning, and trust me, we really needed that one, not that you want to know because you’re his little sister and if I had a younger brother telling me he just had sex multiple times last night I would want to vomit as well and oh my god what am I doing?” Felicity rambled and Thea gave her a very confused but slightly amused look. “Please forget everything I told you the last 30 seconds… YES, a coffee would be wonderful.” Felicity blushed. “Just add a ton of milk and sugar for me, please.”

Thea stood in the kitchen and shook her head in wonder. The blonde, bubbly woman sitting on the couch was different than any woman Oliver met in the past, that was obvious. Thea decided to dig a bit deeper and find out more about the new woman at his brothers’ side because she knew for a fact that Oliver wouldn’t tell her anything.

 

“So, what happened to you?” Thea casually asked when she slumped back onto the couch with a bag of Chips, placing two coffee mugs on the table in front of Felicity, who still nervously fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

“What?” Felicity’s head snapped up in surprise, hearing nothing but crunching and munching coming from the woman next to her.

“What happened to you? I’ve seen Ollie carrying you around in Marbella, but back then you were still sporting some casts and not that walk-around thingy.” Thea shrugged.

Felicity smiles slightly. “Yeah, I’m glad they’re gone.” She stretches the fingers on her bandaged hand a bit, enjoying to finally being able to move her fingers without pain again.

“So?”

 

Felicity shifted around on the couch, unsure what to reply. She could have politely told Oliver’s sister that she didn’t want to talk about it and changed the topic. But did she want to avoid it? It wasn’t her fault to be in this situation, so why should she feel bad talking about it, especially since it’s been a few months now? And it’s not that Thea was a stranger to her – okay, at that moment she still was, but being with Oliver definitely meant meeting his family at some point. And of course they would have questions. And until now she had a surprisingly nice conversation with his sister. Felicity didn’t want to risk giving Thea a bad first impression, so she decided to tell the truth.

“I got hit by a car.” Felicity replied, trying to sound more casual than the situation was.

“What?? How did that happen?” Thea asked her in shock and Felicity could hear that she even stopped stuffing Chips into her mouth.

“Well, someone drove a car, I crossed the street, poof.” Felicity made a blow up gesture with her hands and Thea snorted. Felicity had to smile, too, even though the situation wasn’t funny at all back then.

“But who did that? Did they catch the person?”

“Yeah no… the car was stolen and they never caught anyone. The police presumed my Ex behind everything, but he has an Alibi for the time it happened so I couldn’t press charges against him. They had to drop the case.” Felicity shrugged; surprised at herself about how casually she was able to speak about the accident. She leaned back into the cushions and sighed slightly.

“And your eyes? I mean, I doubt you’re wearing sunshades because Ollie’s Apartment is so super bright.” she laughed and Felicity couldn’t hide a smile at that.  
“I landed on the side of my face and my optical nerve got crushed.”

“Is it permanent? Or will you be able to see again?” Thea asked, sounding honestly worried which made Felicity smile internally.

“I don’t know, honestly.” Felicity shrugged. “They told me it should come back within a few months, but there’s no guarantee for that.” And again Felicity was surprised about herself. A few weeks ago she was struggling to tell Oliver about any of that, and now she sat next to his sister, a woman she met barely 30 minutes ago, and happily answered all the questions she got asked. She made a mental fist pump at that.

“You should meet with Dr. Bernstein. He’s like our personal House-Doctor. Patched me up after I crashed our Jet Ski into a boat when I was 13.” Thea giggled. “And he treated Dad’s cataract a few years ago.” Thea casually told her while she kept on stuffing Chips into her mouth.

“Oliver and I wanted to check on some Treatment options and possible Doctors in Starling for me tonight as soon as he’s back. But thanks for your offer; I will keep that in mind.” Felicity gave her a small smile before she fumbled for the coffee mug and took a sip.

 

They talked about Felicity’s life in LA and she visibly relaxed more and more into the conversation. She actually enjoyed that the conversation with his sister went so casually right from the start. Talking to strangers had never been a thing for her since the accident which made the group of people to interact with through a day relatively small. And being in Starling City now, a city she didn’t know at all, certainly didn’t help changing that. So Felicity was happy to have a casual conversation partner for the moment.

“You’re different. I mean, you’re not like the women Ollie usually dated.” Thea suddenly spoke up after a few moments of silence while Felicity sipped on her coffee.

“Oh I already realized that.” Felicity laughed. When she could feel Thea staring at her in confusion, Felicity spoke up again. “I met Isabel yesterday. Charming person.” she snorted and Thea burst out laughing.

“God, I hate her. With every fiber of my body.” Thea giggled and grabbed her coffee mug.

“How does she look like?” Felicity asked her and Thea’s head shot around in surprise. “I mean, I have a good impression of how she could look like considering the way she bitched around yesterday, but I honestly wonder if the look I painted in my head matches the one she actually has.” Felicity told her, trying to sound not too crazy. “And obviously I won’t ask your brother about that.” she laughed and Thea agreed with a snort.

“Now I’m intrigued at how you think she might look. Let’s make it a game!” Thea grinned at her and sat straight on the couch, legs crossed under her body.

“Oh-kay?” Felicity answered, slightly hesitant, unsure what Thea might have in mind.

“You tell me anything about the Isabel in your head and I’ll correct you if you’re wrong. Ooooh this will be fun!” Thea giggled and clapped her hands together. “It’s been too long since I had someone to slander with about Isabel.” Thea laughed and Felicity stared at her with slightly raised eyebrows.

Felicity folded her right leg into a kneeling position under her body and let the left one with the cast hang loosely from the couch.  
“Okay… let me think… I’d say she’s blonde, long straight hair.”

“Nope… brown, long and wavy.” Thea giggled.

 

Felicity thought for a while, unsure what to ask next. On one hand she was curious how Isabel actually looked, but on the other hand she wasn’t sure if it would be ideal to sit with Oliver’s sister, a woman she met barely an hour ago, on his couch, bitching about his ex-girlfriend.

“That’s all you have in mind? Oh come on Fee, there must be more!” Thea pouted, enjoying the game more than she should.

“Ah screw it, you’re right. Just tell me… is she some business dressed, heavily made-up, super skinny, always too well smelling, emotionless, arrogant brunette Barbie?” Felicity suddenly asked, pretty much in the same rambling speed she embarrassed herself to Thea earlier.

Thea burst out laughing and it took her a good 15 seconds to calm herself again, wiping tears from her eyes. “Oh my god I love you! Oliver definitely needs to keep you! And you’re right, pretty much… except for the heavy make-up. But the lack of smokey eyes she makes up with too perfectly styled hair ALLLLL the time.” Thea told her and Felicity could feel her gesturing around with her arms.

 

They laughed and giggled very casually for another 15 minutes until they heard the Loft door being opened. Both women immediately stopped the conversation and looked in the direction of the entryway when Oliver entered the Loft with a clearly confused look on his face at the situation that enfolded in front of him, on his couch, in his Loft.  
“Thea, what are you doing here?” he asked her, and Felicity could hear the alarm and slight annoyance in his tone.

“I wanted to visit you, since you ignore my texts and calls, big brother.” she announced and got up from the couch to give Oliver a hug. “And when I came here, I met your lovely girlfriend.” she smiled, gesturing to Felicity, who still sat on the couch, leaning into the cushions with a completely relaxed expression and a smile on her face. Oliver’s tension went away as soon as he saw that she was comfortable. 

“You should have called, Speedy. You know I don’t like when you come in here unannounced.” Oliver warned her when he took off his jacket and threw it over the back of the couch.

“Yeah guess what I did?! Multiple times? But to have a conversation with me, you actually have to push ‘Accept’ on your phone instead of shoving it back into your pocket!” Thea told him with an annoyed tone and Felicity couldn’t hold back a small smile at that.

“Well, what’s the visit for?” Oliver asked her and leaned against the couch, always keeping an eye on Felicity sitting a few feet away from him.

“Since you ignore my calls, I came over to ask you if you have an idea for a wedding gift for Tommy and Laurel already.”

Oh shit, he completely forgot that! With everything about Felicity and his problems with Isabel, he completely forgot to think about a wedding present for his best friends.  
“Not really.” he replied, trying to sound as casual as possible but Thea just quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah well luckily you have an awesome little sister,” she told him, gesturing with her hands down her body, “that already took care of that.” she grinned at her brother.

“What is it?” 

“Well since their wedding is in Marbella and they’ll do their Honeymoon on that sailing yacht along the coast, I figured we should do something that matches that.” Oliver just nodded and listened closely. “Well, I talked to the Yacht owner and he told me that there are a few private islands with luxurious beach houses on it, not accessible to the public. The Yacht owner knows some of the Island owners and told me it would be possible to book one of these islands for 2 weeks. I asked him to send me all information about each island that would be available so we can pick the nicest one and book it for them.” Thea smiled and practically beamed at him when she finished her speech.

Oliver thought about it for a few moments before he grabbed Thea by her arms, pulled her to him and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “That is a great idea, Speedy! We just need to make sure that Merlyn Global and the DA are informed about their longer vacation then.”

“Yeah well, that’s where you come in. Could you talk to Malcolm and Captain Lance and make sure their schedules will be cleared but without them finding out?” she gave him a sweet look, twinkling her lashes at him a few times.

“Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem.” Oliver told her after thinking about it a few seconds.

“Awesome! Now that my work is done here, I can leave you two lovebirds alone!” Thea announced and made her way around the couch to Felicity, who still sat there, listening closely to the conversation between the two Queen siblings.

Thea leaned down and gave Felicity a hug. “Keep in mind what I told you about Dr. Bernstein!” she told her with a smile before she pulled away and went over to hug Oliver goodbye.

“You should bring her to Dinner next week! I’m sure Mom would like to meet her as well.”

“All in good time, Speedy. She just arrived here two days ago, there’s no need to rush things.” Oliver told her firmly before releasing his little sister from the hug

 

Thea left as quickly as she arrived at the Loft and Felicity could only shake her head slightly with a laugh about the whirlwind of a sister Oliver had. Oliver rounded the couch in a few short steps and pulled her into his embrace. “I missed you” he told her before he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.

“Well, so that way your sister,” Felicity announced after she pulled back from the kiss and sat back on the couch with him. “she’s quite a handful, it seems.”

“I’m sorry if she bugged you with questions or annoyed you, Felicity. I know she can be crazy nosy sometimes. And I didn’t guess she would be coming over tonight.”

“Are there any more people who have a key to this Loft? I mean, just so I’m prepared.” Felicity joked and Oliver had to laugh.

“No, just her. I gave it to her so she would have a place to crash after a fight with my Mom or going out with her girls. I told her if I catch her drink and driving, I’ll whip her ass. So she insisted on having a place to stay in Starling, so she wouldn’t have to care about driving home. And I have enough spare rooms, so…” Oliver shrugged.  
Felicity smiled at that. Even though they obviously annoyed each other from time to time, they were still siblings and Oliver would always take care of her. And it made Felicity love him even more.

“Hey, what was Thea talking about when she told you about Dr. Bernstein?” Oliver asked her.

“She told me that he’s your personal Doctor or something and that he cured your father’s cataract a few years ago and that I should meet him.” Felicity shrugged.

“That is a great idea! I completely forgot that!” Oliver suddenly sat straight up on the couch.

“Well it seems your sister has a lot of great ideas.” Felicity giggled.

“Oh, by the way, I brought food!” Oliver announced and got up from the couch to walk around to the kitchen where he deposited the large paper bag earlier. “I hope you like Chinese?”

 

Oliver opened a bottle of wine and arranged everything on the living room table. Felicity’s stomach made a loud grumbling sound at the smell of fresh food and when Oliver took a seat next to her, they immediately dived in.

They talked about Dr. Bernstein and all the times he had to stitch up Oliver after he came home from playing a little too hard with Tommy. Felicity listened to him closely, humming at the taste of the delicious food in the container in her hands. Oliver watched her all the time, fascinated that she was able to use chopsticks even with a broken hand, while he busied himself with a fork.

Together they decided to call Dr. Bernstein the next day. Oliver was glad that Felicity so willingly let him help her, especially after what happened with her mother at the last appointment.

 

They settled on the couch for another hour, Oliver zapping through the TV channels while he kept stroking her hair. Felicity listened to what was spoken on the TV until her eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep on his shoulder. Oliver looked down at her and smiled happily. He shut off the TV and slowly got off the couch, gently lowering her head onto the cushions before he removed the wine glasses and food containers and shut off the lights in the Apartment. He returned to the couch and picked her up in his arms before he started walking up the stairs to their bedroom.

When he laid her on the mattress and made a quick stop at the bathroom, Felicity slowly awoke from the sleep.  
“Oliver?” she whispered into the room, feeling the soft sheets under her body and realizing he must have taken her upstairs. When she heard the bathroom door being shut and a light switch turned, she smiled slightly.

“I’m here,” he whispered when he climbed onto the bed next to her and pulled her close to give her a quick kiss. “You fell asleep on the couch, so I figured we should just go to bed.” Oliver was ready to remove his clothes when Felicity grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pressed her lips onto his firmly. The kiss was deep, passionate, loving.

Oliver immediately responded to it, and started caressing her back, her ass, her hips and finally moved his hand up to cup her breast gently over the Tank Top. Felicity broke the kiss to gasp as he thumbed her nipple over her thin shirt.

He kissed her neck when she leaned her head back, sucking on the skin above her collarbone. Felicity moaned softly as he kissed her nipple over the soft material and sucked on it through the fabric. It puckered under his skilled lips and she arched her back to press her breast deeper into his mouth. She cried out softly as Oliver pulled the Top over her head in one swift move, exposing the sensitive skin before he softly bit her now engorged peak. Her hands got lost in his hair as he swirled his tongue around and around, the nipple ring being jostled with the movements. She moved her right hand down their bodies and caressed his dick over his jeans and Oliver moved his hips in rhythm against her hand.

“Touch me,” he rasped with the voice that made Felicity’s toes curl.

She quickly unfastened his jeans and wrapped her hand around his hardened length.

After a few minutes, Oliver got off the bed and pulled her up as well. They quickly disposed of their clothing Oliver laid back on the mattress when Felicity got on her knees next to his hips and took him into her mouth, moaning at his taste.

“Oh god, Felicity!” Oliver moaned and pulled at her hips to adjust her legs so that she was straddling his head. He spread her knees slowly, lowering her clit to his mouth and buried his tongue into her swollen pussy. Felicity gasped and moaned against his cock as he sucked her clit hard, kneading her ass and sliding his fingers up and down her thighs. He knew her body well already. He knew how to make her moan and scream in passion. And he did both.

Felicity tried to concentrate on his delicious cock, but his tongue lapping at her clit as he sucked on it made her lose every focus. She felt herself tingling and leaned her head back as her orgasm rushed through her body.

“Oliver!” she cried, trying to pull away, but he held her firm until he sucked every ounce of pleasure out of her.

Oliver pushed her to lay on her right side and moved quickly behind her, grabbing her left leg at the knee, lifting it up in the air. He aligned himself at her entrance and in one swift move he was inside her. He started kissing her neck and shoulder, thrusting slowly in and out. Felicity moaned loudly and met his rhythm enthusiastically, trying to push her hips into his. His movements were deep and deliberate, making her moan with each deep thrust. She grabbed behind her, trying to get ahold of his shoulder as she felt another orgasm building.

“Fuck, Felicity!” he shouted and cursed when Felicity clenched her inner muscles around him, making him go faster until he couldn’t hold it back any longer and his cock started throbbing deep inside her. Felicity followed quickly and her muscles clenched around him, milking every last drop out of him.

Oliver held her tightly and nuzzled her neck while they both panted and tried to calm their breathing.  
“I’ve never done it like that before.” Felicity admitted after a few minutes, her voice sounding relaxed and very sleepy.

“Did you like it?” Oliver asked her between soft kisses to her shoulder and neck.

Felicity turned on her back and looked in his direction. A content smile spread across her face and she started scratching her fingernails through the short hair on his neck when she pulled him down for a passionate kiss.

“I love everything you do.” she whispered, “but I have to admit, this one was especially good. Not that I mind what you did to me in the shower last night, or against that wall… I think you get what I’m trying to say.” Felicity laughed, happy to being able to stop her rambling before it became too intense.

“Oh, I plan to surprise you with a lot more things,” he told her in a low voice that made Felicity shiver. “But for now, we need to sleep. Tomorrow morning we’ll check with Dr. Bernstein and I believe you wanted to visit your cousin, right?”

Felicity jerked up into a sitting position, almost hitting Oliver’s chin with her shoulder.

“Oh frack, I completely forgot to call him and Caitlin! I was going to but then Thea burst through your Apartment door and I somehow got caught up…”

“Hey, just call them tomorrow morning. No big deal!” Oliver smiled and pulled her back onto the mattress. It didn’t take Felicity long to fall asleep and after Oliver made a quick run for the kitchen again to grab a bottle of water, he followed her just as fast, as soon as he settled into the sheets next to her.

 

The next morning was packed for Felicity. After she awoke and hopped into the shower, Oliver helped her change the bandage wrap on her leg and put the walking cast back on. He had a coffee and small breakfast waiting for her downstairs and already made a call to Dr. Bernstein, setting up an appointment for noon.

After relaxing into the kitchen stool and taking a bite of the Muffin that Oliver got her on his morning run, Felicity pulled out her phone and asked it to dial Barry’s number. Just before she hit dial, Oliver told her he’d jump in the shower so she could talk to her cousin in private.

When she heard him jog up the stairs, she pressed call.  
After a few rings, Barry answered the phone.  
“Felicity! Glad to see you’re still alive! How are you doing?” Barry greeted her with an enthusiastic tone that made Felicity smile.

“I’m fine, great actually. Look, what are doing later today?”

“I have the afternoon off, but I’ll probably check a few files at home if the weather won’t improve. Why do you ask?” Barry asked her in a slightly confused tone.

“Well, the reason why I call is… I’m in Starling City. And I thought we could meet somewhere?” she smiled into the phone.

“Wait, what? You’re in Starling? Where? Since when? Are you with Caitlin or Donna?” Barry blurted out and Felicity could only shake her head at how similar Barry and she were.

“Actually, I’m at my boyfriend’s…” Felicity admitted and pulled her lower lip between her teeth, unsure how Barry would react at that. No one except for Caitlin knew about her boyfriend and it was still a very fresh feeling for her every time the word ‘boyfriend’ left her lips.

“Uhm… okay? When did that happen?” Barry laughed after a few seconds of silence.”You know what? Let’s meet later for lunch! It’s a lot nicer to talk in person and maybe I could even meet him then.” Barry offered and Felicity thought about it for a second.

“I’ll have to ask him but sure, why not? It’s been too long since I’ve seen you anyway!” Felicity sighed.

“Well, what about Big Belly Burger around 2? Does your boyfriend know where it is?”

“Oh I’m sure we’ll find it. See you later then!” Felicity smiled before she ended the call, just when Oliver returned back in the living room, filling the entire Loft with his luscious scent. When he wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his nose in her neck, peppering it with kisses, Felicity moaned slightly.

“Before I lose the ability to speak, we’ll have lunch at 2. Do you know where Big Belly Burger is?” she asked him after clearing her throat and ducking away from his ministrations on her neck and ear.

“Of course I know! I’ve been there a hundred times already. So I’ll meet your cousin today?”

“Yep, but I’ve already met your sister yesterday, too, so…” Felicity waggled his eyebrows at him with a smile.

“Sounds fair. Now let’s get ready, we don’t want to be late.” Oliver grinned before grabbing Felicity firmly at her hips, pulling her off the stool and over his shoulder. Felicity let out a surprised ‘eeep’ when Oliver started walking through the living room and up to the bedroom, never setting her down. When she started to protest and slapped his butt, Oliver returned the gesture with a slap on hers, giggling like a little boy.

 

After he threw her on the mattress, Oliver vanished into the closet. When he returned a few moments later, clothes for himself in hand and a bright blue summer dress for Felicity on a hanger, he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling from it while she waited for him to return. He loved the sight in front of him. Felicity, the woman that he met weeks ago in Europe, the woman that fascinated him from the first moment, was now sitting on his bed, in nothing but a short sleep shorts and a tank top, smiling contently as if nothing could rock her world. And he loved the sight in front of him.

They quickly got dressed and Oliver even helped her straightening her hair with the flat iron. She insisted doing it herself, but when Oliver saw her fighting with the wire, almost burning her shoulder in the process, he quickly grabbed the iron and started helping her. Felicity patiently waited for him to finish his work, always giving instructions on how to use the iron, and not to burn her hair.

 

When they left the Apartment, Felicity slid on one of her Panda Flats and hooked her arm in Oliver’s. The dress Oliver picked felt good on her skin and with her hair done for the first time in over a week, she felt confident when they arrived at the Lobby and left for the parking garage.

The drive had been surprisingly short and before Felicity could realize what was happening, they were standing in a surprisingly quiet building. Felicity waited for a few seconds, unsure what to do next. When she was about to say something to Oliver, she heard footsteps nearing them.

“Oliver, so nice to see you again!” a male voice coming from the back suddenly spoke up. Both Felicity and Oliver turned and she could feel him taking a step forward, greeting the other person with a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“And you must be Felicity,” the man spoke with a friendly voice. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Bernstein.” the man told her and Felicity immediately offered her hand in his direction.

“Thank you. I’m Felicity.” she half laughed. It was all Felicity could bring out besides a smile.

After a few seconds of silence, Dr. Bernstein spoke again. “Well why don’t you follow me inside my office so we can talk?” he gestured for Oliver to follow him down the Hall to his large private office. Oliver grabbed Felicity’s hand and intertwined fingers with her, giving her an assuring squeeze before they he started following Dr. Bernstein into his office.

When everyone took a seat, Dr. Bernstein directed his attention to Felicity.  
“So… Oliver told me you wanted me to have a look at your eyes. But first I would like to know what happened and when it happened, if you’re okay with me asking?“  
Felicity shifted slowly in her seat, trying to hide her nervousness, but Oliver immediately sensed that she was uncomfortable. He leaned over to her chair, squeezing her hand in assurance.  
“Hey, it’s okay, beautiful. Nothing’s going to happen and no one will force you to something you don’t want to, okay?”

Oliver’s calm voice and his warm hand on hers relaxed her a bit. She nodded slowly to him before she took a deep breath and turned her attention to Dr. Bernstein again.  
“I’m sorry. Normally I’m not like that. But my last Doctor’s appointment got a bit out of hand and I tried to avoid anything like that since then.” she honestly told him.

“Like Oliver said already, nothing’s going to happen. For now I’m just interested to hear how such a beautiful young lady got in such an unfortunate situation.” he smiled at her and Felicity visibly relaxed into the chair at Dr. Bernstein’s calm and friendly voice.

Felicity explained him everything he needed to know and Dr. Bernstein scribbled some information down on a paper while she spoke. Oliver listened to her closely, never letting go of her hand. After Felicity told the Doctor everything he wanted to know, she sank back into the seat with a relaxed smile on her face.

“Okay Felicity. I’m going to explain now what we can do and you can decide if that would be okay for you or if you don’t want that. Everything is your choice.” he assured her and Felicity gave him a small smile and nod before he continued speaking. “At first I would like to take a look at your eyes if you don’t mind, so I can see for myself how your healing process is going. Then I would need your medical files from the Doctor that treated your injury in Los Angeles. You don’t have to do that yourself, I can have my assistants get the files mailed over; I just need to know the name of your Doctor and the Doctor’s office. As soon as I have the files, I can compare the original file from a few weeks ago with your current condition and then we can get you very accurate information on your healing process.” he smiled at her and Felicity listened closely while he spoke.

“But for now I would like to have a look at your eyes first. Are you okay with that?”

“Yes.” Felicity replied confidently and Dr. Bernstein got up and rounded the table to stand in front of her. Felicity removed her sunshades and blinked a few times until she felt a soft, but slightly wrinkled hand tilt her chin upwards.

“Alright, I’m just quickly checking on each eye, try and keep them open as long as you can. If it gets too uncomfortable, just close them or blink a few times. We’re in no hurry.” he told her and Felicity opened her eyes and looked up at him.

After Dr. Bernstein examined each of her eyes thoroughly and got back to his desk chair to write down a few notes, Felicity put her sunshades back in place. Oliver had been silent since they entered the office, but gave Dr. Bernstein a very worried look.

“Felicity, I can’t give you any prognosis yet as I have to check your clinical files first to see how severe the damage has been right after your accident. But from what I’ve seen your eyes look good so far, except for being a bit too dry. This isn’t uncommon though, people that lose their eyesight accommodate to the darkness pretty quickly and focus on other senses, therefore you’re not blinking as much as you’d normally do during a day. I’ll give you a bottle of eye-drops for that. Just apply them 3 times a day, I’m sure Oliver can help you with that.” he smiled at Felicity who listened to him closely. “Other than that you look like a young, healthy Lady to me and I see no need to jump to any early conclusions. Your accident has been a few weeks ago, and being impatient isn’t going to help anyone, so that not what we’re going to do, right?”

Felicity just nodded and smiled at him.  
“Alright, please let my assistant know the name of your Doctor’s office and we’ll get your clinical record here as quick as possible. Once I have viewed the files, I’ll give Oliver a call and we can set up another appointment. That should be within the next 7 days. Will that work for you?”

“Yes, thank you.” Felicity gave him an honest smile before all 3 made it out of the office.

“It was nice to see you again, Oliver. Please send your parents my greetings. Have a lovely day, you two!” Dr. Bernstein told them before he made his way down the hallway. At the main desk, Felicity left the information about her Doctor in LA when the assistant handed Oliver a small bottle of eye-drops.

 

They made it to the car in silence and Oliver opened the car door for her, letting her slide into the passenger seat.  
On the road to Big Belly Burger Felicity didn’t speak a word. At first Oliver thought she was still processing everything Dr. Bernstein told her, but after a while he became nervous.  
“Everything okay? You’re so silent, suddenly.”

“Yeah, everything’s great, actually… I’m just figuring out how to proceed now, after everything Dr. Bernstein told me.” Felicity replied, leaning her head into the backrest, looking in Oliver’s direction.

“What do you mean?”

“Dr. Bernstein was great, probably the nicest Doctor I have met since the accident. Before him everyone always expected me to silently agree with what they were saying and the treatments they were offering, to not ask questions. I always felt like a human guinea pig for them, and when I actually disagreed with something or didn’t like what they offered, they got rude and told me I had no idea but they were working with these diseases on a daily basis. And basically forcing me to trust them isn’t the most trustworthy move, I can tell you that.” Felicity laughed.

“But Dr. Bernstein is great. I immediately felt save with him and he explained everything so I could easily understand him. Which is why I need to go back to LA as soon as possible.” Felicity announced and Oliver’s head shot around in confusion.

“What? I can’t follow? You just said your Doctors in LA were crap! And I thought you were staying a little longer – “

Felicity cut him off.  
“Oliver, I need to go back soon to cancel my appointments there. And to grab some more clothes. I would love to stay a little longer with you, but I need my medical files and I need some fresh clothes. And I’m sure Caitlin would kill me if I didn’t tell her personally.” she laughed and Oliver immediately relaxed into the car seat again.

 

They arrived at Big Belly Burger and Oliver picked a table in the corner, but still visible from the entrance. Oliver slid in first, letting Felicity take the seat next to him in the booth, so Barry would immediately see her once he arrived. They just ordered some drinks and decided to wait for Barry before ordering the food. 

 

“Hey, let’s put some eye-drops in, shall we?” Oliver suggested and Felicity agreed. She rummaged through her bag, trying to locate the bottle before she handed it to Oliver and removed her sunshades.

“Look up,” Oliver told her while Felicity kept rambling about how much nicer Dr. Bernstein has been than any of her Doctors in Los Angeles are. He applied two drops of the liquid into each of her eyes before he placed a sweet kiss on her nose and put the cap back on the bottle. Felicity blinked twice, spreading the liquid on her eyes before she put her sunshades back on.

 

After a few minutes Felicity could hear a familiar voice nearing the table.  
“Felicity!” 

Her head shot around and scanned the room when a tall young man stopped at their table. Felicity immediately got out of the booth and hugged her cousin. Barry gladly returned the hug and wrapped his arms around her small frame.

It’s so good to see you again, it’s been too long.” he smiled when they pulled away and turned to take a seat in the booth.

Felicity immediately fumbled for Oliver’s hand and laced fingers with him before she spoke up.  
“Barry, this is Oliver. Oliver, this is my cousin Barry.” she introduced them with a smile.

Oliver let go of her hand and politely shook hands with Barry with a small smile and nod.

“Hey, aren’t you the Quarterback of our Football Team?” Barry suddenly spoke up, pointing a finger at Oliver.

“Yeah, I am.” Oliver replied, sounding a bit surprised that Barry didn’t bring up QC or his not-so-unknown past but immediately went for his Sports Career. “So you’re into Football?”

“Oh god, I see where this is going…” Felicity mumbled to herself when both men stopped talking and gave her a look. She looked up in surprise when it got silent around her.  
“What? You guys are talking for a few seconds and already stopped at a typical male topic…” she told them with feigned annoyance. “And trust me, this person, “ she said, pointing a finger in Barry’s direction, “isn’t into any kinds of Sports besides watching women’s Tennis on the TV.” she laughed and Oliver snorted. “A few years ago he broke his foot while playing Golf; I mean… can you believe it? Do people even move at that Sport?” she grinned and Oliver had to suppress a laugh at that.  
“Excuse me, young Lady? I’m sitting over here!” Barry pouted, which made Felicity laugh even more.

 

For another two hours they ate Burgers, drank multiple Milkshakes and casually talked about Barry’s Job and Felicity’s life since the accident. Felicity told Barry how Oliver and her met in Marbella and that she planned on staying in Starling City for a while. Oliver didn’t speak much, but enjoyed listening to Felicity talk so casually and relaxed to a person that was close to her. He had seen her interact with Caitlin, but Barry was actual family. And he hadn’t met any of her family members until now, so he was enjoying the Lunch date with Barry just as much as she did.

When Barry checked his watch and realized it was almost 4 in the afternoon, he apologized for ending the Lunch Date so soon and told her his coworker Iris would be coming over later to work on a case with him and he still had to clean up the messy Apartment. Felicity laughed at that, remembering the messy rooms Barry always left when they were kids.

They made sure to stay in touch so they could arrange another Date in the near future. Barry hugged her goodbye and shook Olivers hand before he left the Diner.  
“He seems like a nice guy.” Oliver spoke up.

“He is.” Felicity smiled. And besides my Mom he’s the only family I have left, so I’m glad I can see him more often now.” She remembered the times Barry and her ran around as little kids, stealing cookies from the kitchen and spending entire afternoons in the tree house in the backyard. “What do you think, should we head home as well? We still need to work through the contract details of yours and I wanted to check on a flight to LA.” she looked up at Oliver and wrapped her arms around his neck while she spoke.

“Sounds like a plan,” he smiled down at her before pecking her lips softly with his. “I’ll just make a quick run for the restroom and we can head out.”

 

Felicity waited for Oliver to return from the restroom so they could head back home for a relaxed evening on the couch. After she put her phone back in her bag and pulled on her coat she got out of the booth when suddenly two strong arms came up around her from behind. Her nose was being invaded with an unfamiliar, male perfume when two large hands grabbed her at the waist, swiping her off her feet and pure panic started to flood her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! HA! :D  
> Now... who could that person be? Let me hear your thoughts! :->


	15. unexpected turns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That little 'Cliffhanger' - thing last chapter was way too much fun. Your guesses and comments were immensely satisfying and entertaining! But rest assured, I'm not going to throw in any more... well maybe one or two more times. :P

Felicity waited for Oliver to return from the restroom so they could head back home for a relaxed evening on the couch. After she put her phone back in her bag and pulled on her coat she got out of the booth when suddenly two strong arms came up around her from behind. Her nose was being invaded with an unfamiliar, male perfume when two large hands grabbed her at the waist, swiping her off her feet and pure panic started to flood her.

 

Felicity froze in panic. After being swiped off her feet by that stranger swinging her around like she weighed nothing, she didn’t know what to do. Just when she was ready to scream in panic, the stranger holding her up started to speak.  
“Felicity! What are you doing in Starling City and why the hell didn’t you call?”

Weird. He didn’t sound like a creeper or like he wanted to abduct her. And he knew her name, which freaked her out even more. His voice sounded slightly familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.  
“Put me down!” she told the stranger, probably not in the nicest tone, but since that person literally swiped her off her feet without a word, she felt like she had every right to be sulky. She could feel her feet touch the ground again when she took a few steps away from the stranger, straightened out her dress with her hands and was about to give that man an earful, when suddenly Oliver returned from the restrooms.

 

“Tommy, what are you doing here?”

Felicity’s head shot around, facing Oliver, before it shot back to the person standing in front of her.  
“Tommy?” she suddenly spoke up with a very surprised voice.

“The one and only.” he grinned. “Sorry if I scared you.” he apologized and pulled her into a hug.

“So? What are you doing in Starling City? Besides hiding from Laurel and me…” he joked.

“I just arrived here two days ago, so I’m not hiding from you.” she smiled at him. “I had a slight disagreement with my Mom and Oliver picked me up and took me here.” she shrugged, trying not to give the fight with her mother too much of a thought.

“Well you certainly look good. Starling does you well… or maybe it’s that well-toned, broody giant standing behind you.” Tommy smirked at her.

“I don’t have much time, Laurel’s waiting at home. But now that you’re here, we need to set up a Dinner Date. Soon.” Tommy told them firmly, pointing a warning finger in Oliver’s direction.

“Absolutely.” Felicity replied. “Just please no _‘Dinner in the Dark’_ again.” she added and all 3 started to laugh at the memory.

“Perfect. You call me buddy, and we’ll set a date!” Tommy kissed Felicity’s cheek and gave Oliver a quick pat on the shoulder before he made his way to the counter to pick up the take-out food he had ordered.

“Will do. And send Laurel our greetings!” Oliver told him before he interlaced his fingers with Felicity’s and started heading towards the Exit.

 

Back at the Loft Felicity and Oliver worked through the contract details once more, trying to find any loophole to get out of it without any harm to Oliver’s reputation. When they didn’t get any further after several hours of reading and brainstorming, Felicity let out an exhausted sigh and decided to drop the topic for the evening.

Oliver offered to drive her to LA the next day so she could meet with her Doctors and Caitlin and also pick up some more clothes.  
She was excited to see Caitlin again. Even though she loved being around Oliver all the time, she missed her best friend. Caitlin had been like her rock since the accident, helping her out no matter what, always being there for her. She was sad that there were a few hundred miles between them now, but at least she would get to see her friend again the next day.

 

When they arrived in LA and told Caitlin about her plans on staying in Starling City for a little longer, Caitlin couldn’t hide the sadness that covered her face. Oliver once again offered a place for her in his Loft whenever she wanted to visit and Caitlin gave him a warm smile at that. Felicity felt bad, leaving her best friend alone in Los Angeles, after everything that Caitlin had done for her in the last few weeks.

“Don’t worry too much, Fee.” Caitlin told her, taking her hands in hers, “If the Doctor is as good as he makes you feel and you have an actual chance at improving your healing process, then go for it! And you can spend time with your boyfriend, who wouldn’t want to do that? But I will miss you nonetheless.” she admitted and Felicity pulled her into a warm hug.

Together they packed all the stuff Felicity told them she wanted with her in Starling City and loaded Oliver’s car with the bags.

“The offer still stands, we can get you a plane ticket at any time and there’s always a room in the Loft for you.” Oliver told Caitlin when they were hugging goodbye so Felicity would meet it to the Doctors in time before closing hours.

“Thanks for the offer; I’ll keep that in mind. But with Ronnie and me becoming a bit more serious lately, I’m not sure I have time for that.” Caitlin grinned and Felicity smiled at her.  
“It’s so awesome to see you dating again, Cait! And Ronnie’s a good guy.”

“Thanks, Fee. Now go, before you miss the Doctor’s!” Caitlin ushered them into the car. “And promise to call me at least every few days!” she warned her when Felicity took the passenger seat and was about to close the door.

 

They made it to the Doctor’s just in time.  
To say her Doctor looked surprised when Felicity announced she would be canceling all future treatments and decided to work with a different Doctor, would be a huge understatement. She kept a confident smile plastered on her face all the time (mentally trying to tell him ‘Fuck you’ with it – and she hoped it worked!), he didn’t reply anything to that and pretty much handed her the medical files without a word, just wishing her all the best for the future.

Oliver gave Felicity a very detailed description of the Doctor’s face as soon as they sat in the car and drove to the next Doctor on her list. It made her laugh 2 full minutes, glad that she got to pay at least a small revenge to that Doctor.

 

Felicity was in a much lighter mood by now; after saying goodbye to Caitlin for a while and cutting off her eye-doctor, she now only had to tell her family physician that she would continue treatments for her leg and hand somewhere else – and luckily, she liked that Doctor a lot more and was even a bit sad to leave him behind.

 

 

When they returned back home in Starling City late in the evening, both Oliver and Felicity fell to bed almost immediately. The long drives had been exhausting to them, and Felicity didn’t bother unpacking any of her bags until the next morning.

When Oliver left for another early Training Session at the Starling Archers, he handed her a huge load of metal hangers for all her dresses and blouses and Felicity spent the morning getting all her clothes sorted out and putting them into her spot in the closet.

By the time he returned, she had finished almost 2 bags and Oliver loved the sight of her bright colored dresses hanging next to his white and blue dress shirts. By now, Felicity had left her mark nearly everywhere in his Loft and Oliver just enjoyed coming home a lot more than he did in the past. Her Panda flats and another pair of Flip Flops were sitting next to his running shoes in the hallway; her bright pink blanket thrown over his light grey couch; her beauty supplies all over the bathroom and shower. Since he moved into the Loft it always looked clean and futuristic, but kind of lifeless as well. Now, it almost looked and felt like an Apartment a real couple shared. And he loved every bit of it.

 

 

The next week went by in a frenzy. Oliver had Training Sessions and Team Meetings almost every day. With the new Sponsor getting them into the NFL again, the entire Team needed to get back in shape quickly. That meant less time he could spend with Felicity, but she didn’t mind one bit. Felicity was glad that Oliver could finally go out and play again, since he constantly told her how much he missed it. She, on the other hand, found a great couch buddy in his little sister Thea.

Thea came over to the Loft almost every day now, either to further discuss the wedding gift plans for Laurel and Tommy, or just to hang out with Felicity whenever Oliver had to leave for another Training session. She loved to tell Felicity embarrassing stories about Oliver when he was little and Felicity never laughed so much in her entire life. She also insisted on going shopping with Felicity and forced her to agree on a Mani / Pedi day as soon as her casts were gone completely, which Felicity gratefully accepted. Felicity even started calling Thea on her own. Whenever Oliver had to leave for an early Training Session, she called her over for girls’ breakfast.

Thea was happy to leave the Mansion as often as she could. Neither Oliver nor Thea talked much about their parents and Felicity never asked anything about it, but she could feel that the relationship to their parents wasn’t the best one. But who was she to judge? She hadn’t talked to her mother since the incident at the Doctor’s almost 2 weeks ago, and she had no plans to do so in the near future.  
The connection to her mother Donna had always been a bit restrained. Felicity never liked to move around every few months when Donna met a new guy or found a new Job; she never liked growing up in Vegas and being left alone almost all day, but she never complained about anything. And when she went to College and left her Mother, the relationship became a lot better. Felicity could decide whenever she wanted to talk to her mother with a simple call and Donna didn’t get to snoop around in Felicity’s life that much anymore due to the distance.  
But since she broke up with Cooper and her mother flat-out asked her if Felicity was sure it wasn’t her own fault in some way, the relationship took a deep hit.  
Felicity didn’t talk to Donna for several weeks after that and even sent her away when she awoke in the hospital and could hear her mother’s voice in the room. Donna reluctantly left, after telling her she was sorry about what she said to Felicity.  
Felicity ignored her, and the next weeks Donna tried her best to re-connect with her daughter. When Felicity left for Marbella, they were on an almost-daily speaking basis again, but Felicity always kept a distance to her mother, still feeling deeply affected by what Donna implied about the break-up with Cooper. The incident with her Doctor 2 weeks ago now was another low blow Felicity had taken from her mother, and this time she was sure not to forgive her as quickly.

 

 

They only ran into Isabel once while they went into the City to grab Lunch, and luckily Isabel didn’t seem to be in the mood for much of a conversation. Felicity never said anything to the woman and kept an arrogant smile plastered on her face all the time, but Oliver let her know that they still expected to hear from her with an idea how to solve their _‘contractual problem’_ to which Isabel just gave a snotty reply and then quickly left the scene.

 

Laurel and Tommy came over to the Loft one evening for a visit as well.  
Tommy and Oliver cut the Pizza they had brought and Laurel told Felicity she was a brave woman if she really decided to keep up with Oliver. Felicity laughed at that and enjoyed spending the evening with Oliver's two best friends on the couch.  
Talking to them felt a lot more relaxed than it had felt back in Marbella; and even then Felicity was surprised how well Oliver’s friends got along with her – or how well she got along with them. She was never one to have a hard time meeting new friends, but since the accident Felicity struggled with it a lot. Especially when she felt people judging or pitying her. Tommy and Laurel did neither, and Felicity was very grateful for that back then. Now that they sat on Oliver’s couch together and talked about the upcoming wedding, it felt as if she’d known these two people for months already – years, probably.

Felicity told them about the incident with her Mother and her Doctor and both Laurel and Tommy applauded her for deciding the way she did. Tommy knew Dr. Bernstein well; not only Oliver got patched up by him several times but Tommy as well. Laurel told Felicity about her Dad and the problems she had with him from time to time and assured her it’ll get worse before it gets better.   
Felicity could only smile and laugh at that because it summed up pretty much what she endured with her own mother.

Laurel and Tommy left late in the evening after setting up a date for Dinner at the new Italian Restaurant by the end of the week. Felicity and Oliver gladly accepted and when Oliver patted Tommy goodbye, his best friend leaned in and told Oliver in a low voice “That woman is a keeper, don’t screw it up, Queen!”

 

When Oliver received a call from Dr. Bernstein a few days later, Felicity got nervous. The Doctor didn’t tell much over the phone; he just asked them to come into his office on Monday so they could have a look at the files together. Oliver assured her that everything was fine and that Dr. Bernstein would have called them into his office immediately if something was wrong.  
“You’re probably right,” Felicity answered, “and what is waiting for a few more days after I had to wait for so long now?” she shrugged and Oliver pulled her in for a hug.

That day, Oliver decided to distract her a bit by going shopping with her. Felicity told him she wasn’t sure what to wear to Dinner with Tommy and Laurel and Oliver decided to go out and buy a new dress with her. When they arrived at the Boutique Felicity got out of the car, still protesting that she wasn’t sure she should trust Oliver’s judgement on something like an evening gown.  
“That’s why I called her.” Oliver only replied with a smile when a squealing, giggly Thea wrapped her arms around Felicity’s neck and pulled her into a hug.  
“I’m just the one with the credit card; you girls do all the rest.” Oliver just added when they made their way into the Boutique.

 

Felicity found the perfect black dress. At least that’s what Thea told her. And judging by Oliver’s cough and silence following after she emerged from the changing room, she guessed it must be perfect. The knee-long, tight black dress with subtle cutouts on the ribs felt great on her skin, her exposed back revealing tattooed wings and a lot of skin that left little to the imagination. Thea almost looked shocked when she saw the tattooed wings on Felicity’s back for the first time and immediately started bugging Oliver to pursue their mother to allow Thea a Tattoo as well.

“You know I never asked if you have any Tattoos?!” Felicity suddenly spoke up and ended the heated discussion about Tattoos and Piercings for underage people that the Queen siblings currently were in.  
“Good thing you’re blind, Fee, so you won’t have to see the horrible tramp stamp your boyfriend sports above his ass!” Thea spoke up before Oliver could say anything and Felicity gave him a very surprised look.  
Thea had to pay for her dress herself after that statement and Oliver threatened to take away her key to the Loft if she kept on talking like that. Felicity giggled and Thea dropped the topic.

 

When Oliver and Felicity got themselves ready for Dinner a day later, Oliver helped her curling her blonde locks into slight waves. He also wrapped her wrist in a black bandage to match her dress, and when she emerged from the bathroom after putting on a slight lip gloss, Oliver’s eyes lit up. She looked incredible, even in her walking cast and a flat shoe. She surprised him when she decided to drop the sunshades for Dinner since the sun had set anyway, and when they entered the Restaurant, approaching a waiting Laurel and Tommy on the large round table, their eyes lit up as well.

“You look beautiful,” Tommy told her when he pulled Felicity in for a hug and gave her a peck on the cheek. Laurel also complimented her on the dress before they all took a seat for the evening.

“Is your eyesight getting better? I don’t think I have seen you without your sunshades yet. You have lovely eyes, by the way.” Tommy told her and Felicity bowed her head and blushed at that.

 

They spent the evening talking about the upcoming wedding and Felicity smiled and laughed when Laurel excitedly told her about her dress and all the preparations they had already taken care of. When Tommy and Laurel once again got in an argument about the choice of flowers, Oliver gently squeezed her hand and gave it a kiss.

“We should invite Felicity to the wedding!” Laurel suddenly announced to her fiancée, and both Oliver and Felicity froze at that. Oliver, because he loved the idea and contemplated on asking Tommy himself for quite a while now. Felicity, because she wasn’t sure if she should attend a wedding of two people that she just met weeks ago, even though she was in a relationship with their best friend.

“This is a brilliant idea!” Tommy announced and focused his attention on Oliver. “And since I know that your Plus 1 isn’t filled yet, I’m sure you’ll agree with me, buddy.”

Before Oliver could reply, Felicity spoke up.  
“This is an honor, it really is, but… I’m not sure if this is a good idea? I mean, I just met you guys a few weeks ago and you already have the entire wedding planned out. I don’t want you to add any more trouble on top of that – “

“Felicity, you’re Ollie’s girlfriend and already a friend of ours, too. Of course we would want to have you at our wedding!” Laurel piped up. “Besides, I could definitely need a shopping buddy in the next weeks. Pretty please?”

Felicity was taken aback by Laurel’s statement. Within minutes they not only included her into the Wedding guest list, now Laurel was asking her to go shopping with her as well. She was overwhelmed to say the least, and Laurel must have sensed it.

“I mean… only if you’re okay with it of course.” Laurel said and pulled Felicity out of her thoughts. “If you don’t feel comfortable then I will understand. But I would be happy if you’d agree.”

Felicity could hear the sincerity in her voice and it took away a bit of her nervousness about the whole situation. Felicity promised them both to think about it and to let them know soon.

Tommy turned the conversation to a lighter topic then and told Oliver and Felicity about their Honeymoon plans when suddenly their food arrived.  
They ate in silence mostly and Felicity handled the Steak she ordered surprisingly well. Every time Oliver wanted to cut in and help her she refused, telling him she was a big girl and needed to work through this on her own. Besides some fries that landed on the tablecloth, she did surprisingly well.

Their plates had been removed and they were waiting for Dessert to be served, when suddenly Oliver’s phone started buzzing. He quickly pulled it out of his jacket to check who might be calling at that time. When he saw the caller, he froze for a second and quickly excused himself from the table before heading out of the Restaurant to take the call. When he returned to the table a few minutes later, Laurel and Felicity were casually talking about the worst things that could happen at a wedding. Everyone was laughing and giggling when Felicity talked about an incident at her mother’s 2nd wedding where the groom wanted to throw Donna over the shoulder and carry her inside, but tumbled backwards and toppled into the Pool with the bride over his shoulders.

“For the record, you’re NOT going to carry me around during the Party, Tommy.” Laurel waved a warning finger at her fiancée and Tommy just cocked an eyebrow at that.

“Not even over the threshold and into the bedroom?” he purred and earned a slap on his arm from Laurel at that.

“Tommy! That’s so not the right topic to talk over Dinner with our friends!” she laughed but tried to keep a warning tone so he would take the note.

“Oh I don’t mind at all.” Felicity laughed. “In fact, I’m sure I’ve embarrassed myself to no end over Thea already by telling her sexual stuff about me and her brother that I’m sure she never wants to know, so feel free to do so yourself. I can take it.” she half mumbled with a grin and Tommy and Laurel both burst out laughing. That was when Oliver returned to the table.

Everyone was laughing and Tommy still tried to catch his breath, when Oliver took a seat next to Felicity again, all tensed up and a lot more quiet than he was before he left the table to take the call. Felicity immediately sensed his stiffness when she placed her hand on his thigh and leaned into his side to whisper in his ear.

“Is everything alright?”

It took Oliver a few seconds to reply and when she squeezed his thigh assuringly, he just gave her a quick nod.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Sorry I just got distracted for a moment.” He turned his head and gave her a sweet, quick kiss on the lips before turning his attention back to Laurel and Tommy again.

“Who called? Normally you ignore your phone whenever we’re out for Dinner…” Tommy asked him after wiping his mouth with a napkin, reaching for his wine glass.

“Oh, just work stuff.” Oliver quickly threw in. “You know, with getting back in the League soon there’s still a lot of things to catch up on.”

“And they call you at – “ Tommy looked down, checking his watch, “9.45pm? Geez, do you have any time off? Fee, do you get to see him at all?” he joked and Felicity just smiled at him. Oliver gave a forced laugh as well and tried to engage in the conversation for the rest of the evening as good as possible, but Felicity could sense that something was off.

The evening ended late at night with Laurel setting up a time to pick up Felicity for shopping and Tommy forcing her to have breakfast at their place soon. They all hugged goodbye and made their way home.

 

As soon as Felicity got seated in the passenger seat of the Porsche and Oliver took the driver’s seat, her head whipped around to him.

“Okay, what’s wrong? And don’t tell me it’s nothing, because your tension sure doesn’t feel like nothing to me. You were barely talking since you returned after taking that call and I’m sure if I’d ask Laurel she’d tell me that you didn’t smile either. So I’m asking you again, what is wrong?” she asked him with a firm voice that was very new to Oliver. He had never seen her like that before. Determined and a little bit angry, but still sexy as hell. She crossed her arms over her chest and had her entire body turned in his direction while she waited for a reply from him.

Oliver took a deep breath before he replied. They were still sitting in the parking lot of the Restaurant and he would have preferred to talk about that at home, but one look at Felicity’s stoney face told him that it would be a bad idea trying to drop the topic for now and just start the engine. So he replied.

“The call… that was the Manager of the Coast City Falcons.”

“What? But there’s still time! We still have another week until they want a decision!” Felicity interrupted him, the anger in her face immediately replaced with worry.

“That’s the thing… he called me to let me know the contract has been annulled and that he wishes me all the best for my career.”

Felicity looked at him completely dumbfounded and in shock. Could this be true? They wouldn’t have to worry any more about making a decision or risking Oliver’s career in any way. Heck, Felicity would have even moved to Coast City with Oliver if that’d have kept him away from any trouble. But she knew that this never was what Oliver wanted. Coast City would only have been a compromise he would have made when he was with Isabel, and Felicity didn’t want him to make any compromises.  
“Did he say anything else?”

“Not really. I asked him where the sudden change came from and he just told me that things got handled and I wouldn’t have to fulfill the contract anymore.” Oliver shrugged, clearly out of ideas.

“That sounds almost too good to be true.” Felicity told him and Oliver couldn’t agree more.

“Yeah that’s what I thought, too, especially when you consider how much they wanted to force me into their Team with this contract just a few weeks ago.”

“Maybe they found a replacement for you? Or they could that other Quarterback back into the Team?” Felicity asked him but Oliver just shook his head.

“Maybe, but then they would have made me pay the fine. And he never said a thing about the money on the phone.” Oliver sighed and rubbed his forehead with his palm, trying to soothe the wrinkles that formed there.

“Let’s get home; I think you’ll need a glass of wine. And god help me, so do I.” Felicity half laughed.

“I’m going to need something stronger tonight.” Oliver mumbled when he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

 

They arrived back home within minutes. As soon as they entered the Loft, Felicity plopped onto the couch with a loud exhale while Oliver went to the bar and poured them both a glass of Whiskey. When he came back and handed her one tumbler, he pulled her off the couch to stand in front of him.

“To us; to 2 months with the most amazing, beautiful, intelligent woman I have ever met; to a wedding where you’ll officially be my Plus 1 – and I’m not going to take no for an answer and neither will Tommy nor Laurel! – “ Oliver pointed at her with his glass and a sweet, warning tone in his voice, “ to the contract that’s finally off the table; to my Team that’s soon going to play in the NFL again; to Dr. Bernstein who helps us treating your injuries; …… and to you, for making me feel like the luckiest man in the world.” he said before he clinked glasses with Felicity. She just smiled at him, taking in everything he told her. After a few moments she lifted the glass to her lips and took a gulp.

“Jesus, what is this! Kerosine?” she coughed and pushed the glass into his chest so he could take it from her.

“It’s Whiskey, I thought it would be fitting for tonight.” Oliver chuckled at her reaction.

“Yeah, if you want me to pass out after half a glass so you can drag me upstairs and have your way with me without noticing, then I’m sure this drink would be fitting.” she rambled while she made her way to the kitchen, fumbling through his wine cooler, trying to find something more fitting for her. When she pulled out the first bottle that she got ahold of and placed it on the counter in front of her, she sent Oliver an expecting look.

“Are you going to force me opening that bottle myself? Because I swear to god Oliver, if I can find a corkscrew on my own in your kitchen AND manage to get this bottle opened you won’t see a drop of this lovely – “ she lifted the bottle and looked at the label expectantly before looking at him again, “what is it?”

“Merlot,” Oliver laughed.

“Well then you won’t see a single drop of this lovely Merlot.” Felicity looked at him, a wide grin plastered on her face, gesturing around the bottle with her other hand. Oliver just smiled and shook his head in disbelieve before he downed his Whiskey and made his way over to the kitchen counter. He took the bottle and corkscrew out of her hands and opened it. When he pulled two glasses from the overhead shelves he took the bottle and filled them, pouring Felicity a lot more than himself. He knew too well that Whiskey and Wine didn’t mix well, and if he didn’t want to pass out on the couch this night, he needed to cut down on the wine a bit. 3 Scotch at the Restaurant and the one at home should be enough for the night.

 

Oliver brought the glasses and bottle over to the couch and set them on the TV table. While Felicity made her way over to the couch, a lot faster than the first time she roamed around his room, he noticed with a smile, Oliver took off his suit jacket that he still wore since they left the Restaurant.

When they got comfortable on the couch and Felicity hummed with contentment after taking the first sip of her wine, Oliver pulled her closer to his side and rested her feet in his lap, taking off her walking case so he could massage her feet.

“I could get used to this.” Felicity hummed when Oliver’s skilled fingers slowly kneaded over each single toe before moving on to the ball of her feet. Oliver just laughed slightly.

“Do you think Isabel could have something to do with it?” Felicity asked him after a few minutes of enjoyable silence, ripping his attention away from her feet.

“I thought about that, too, but I doubt it. She doesn’t have the financial opportunities to pay the penalty fine and there’s no other way to get out of it, so… I honestly have no idea.” he sighed.

“But you think there’s something off?” he asked him tentatively.

“Well, like you said… letting the contract drop without any further discussion sounds a bit too good to be true. But maybe I’m just paranoid? Maybe they realized that forcing me into their Team wouldn’t help them at all?” Oliver shrugged and downed his glass of wine.

Felicity scooted closer to him until she was fully seated in his lap after she set her glass on the table.

“I think it’s good to be cautious, and I agree with you that this is kind of weird.” She smiled at him and put his face in her hands. “But I need you to worry a little less about it, okay? There are more important things to focus on right now – like your Training.” She gave him a sweet few pecks on the lips before she spoke again.

“Here’s what we’ll do… tomorrow we’ll call the Manager again, asking him to send a written confirmation that the contract has been terminated and you can’t be forced into action by them in any kind in the future. If your contract really has been ‘taken care of’ as they told you, I’m sure they won’t have a problem sending a letter.” she smiled at him and Oliver looked at her with utter fascination and admiration.

“You’re incredible, have I told you that lately?”

“Not today.” She grinned at him and Oliver pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

She pulled back after a few moments to take a breath before she spoke again.  
“There’s one more thing we need to do, and you’re not going to like it.” she told him, nervously biting her lower lip.

 

“What is it?” he asked her, a confused look on his face.

“We have to talk to a lawyer.”

“Felicity, I told you I can’t do that.” he cut her off but she raised her hand and stopped him before he could speak any further.

“Hear me out. We need to get this contract and the written confirmation looked over professionally to make sure they can’t sue you in the future. And we both don’t have the lawyerly knowledge to do that on our own. So we need help. I know a very trustworthy lawyer, a very discreet one at that. And he still owes me a favor. So we’ll call her as soon as we have that written confirmation in hand and will have her look it over.” Felicity told him with a firm voice that left no room for objection.

“Her?”

“Seriously, Oliver? That’s all you’ve heard from what I just told you?” she cocked an eyebrow at him.

Oliver huffed a laugh at that. “No, sorry. I just don’t think it’s a good idea… if anything of this leaks through to the media, Felicity – “

“It won’t, trust me. Helena wouldn’t want to risk her own reputation and she knows that I know some delicate things about her, so even if she would consider tipping the press – which she won’t – she knows that I could ruin her career as a lawyer as fast as she could ruin you. And her reputation is as precious to her as yours is to you. So I’d say she’s the perfect person for our problem.” Felicity smiled at him before she turned around, fished for her wine glass on the table and took a large gulp.

“Our problem?” Oliver asked her confused.

“Well since you and I are in a relationship, this is very much my problem as it is yours.” She smiled at him after setting the empty wine glass back on the table.

Oliver pulled her in for a sweet kiss that quickly turned into something passionate. He started fumbling for the zipper of her dress and slowly pulled it down.

“I know something else that is ours.” he mumbled into her mouth when he pulled the straps of her dress over her shoulders.

“And what would that be, Mister Queen?” she asked him an a low and sultry voice.

“Our bed.” he whispered into her neck before he picked her up bridal style and made his way to the stairway.  
Everything else could be taken care of the next day.


	16. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm repeating myself, but THANKS so much for all the Kudo's and Comments on my Story. I would have never come this far with the Story if it hadn't been for the constant support and nice words from you guys!
> 
> Here's another 9k+ words for you! Stuff happens, enjoy! :)

Felicity was the first to wake up, which was highly unusual for her. Normally Oliver was the one waking up first, and usually he slipped out of bed without her noticing it and surprised her with breakfast before he had to head out for Training.  
This morning though, a large heavy body propped over her, pushing her into the mattress. A soft snoring sound came from the pillow next to her and Felicity couldn’t help but giggle, even though the heavy chest and arms almost crushed her.

When the snoring stopped and she felt the weight of the other body slowly move off her, Felicity gently slipped out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom.  
She took her time getting ready for the day, and when she got back to the bedroom, the room was completely silent. She couldn’t hear any sounds indicating that Oliver was still in bed or even getting dressed, so Felicity guessed he already headed downstairs to make breakfast. When she feeled her way to the walk-in closet, careful not to put any weight on her foot while the walking cast wasn’t on yet, she tried to locate the drawer with her underwear. When she grabbed the first pair of bra and panties she could get ahold of and made her way back to the edge of the bed to put everything on, two strong arms suddenly gripped her from behind, pulling her back onto the mattress and Felicity let out a surprised squeal.

“You’re not getting dressed.” a sleepy voice mumbled into her neck before burying his nose into it.

“Oliver, how are you still in this room? I thought you were downstairs already.” Felicity laughed while she tried to free herself from his grip.

“That’s my Ninja skills.” he proudly announced and Felicity could just roll her eyes with a snort.

“We have to get up – and get dressed! Or do you want me to leave your Apartment naked like the day I was born?” she grinned at him, craning her neck up so he could see her wide smile.

“There’s no way in hell anyone gets to see you like that!” Oliver half growled before he sat up and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

 

They made it downstairs together and Felicity took a seat on her kitchen stool while Oliver prepared the breakfast for them. She loved listening to him, knowing him around her, smelling his masculine scent and hearing his voice when he talked to her. And in moments like these she so much hated being blind, not for once being able to see his face.

After a few moments she let out a small sigh and Oliver carefully watched her.  
“Everything alright?” he asked her while he took a sip of his coffee.

Felicity gave him a casual smile. “Yeah… I just got caught in my head for a minute.”  
“So... will you call the Coast City Manager later to ask for that letter of confirmation?” she asked him and wrapped her fingers around the coffee mug.

“Yeah, the sooner we get over with it the better. Do you still think it’s a good idea to call that lawyer of yours?” he asked her slightly hesitating.

“Yes I do, Oliver. We’re not going to risk your career by trusting that Manager blindly. You said so yourself… something smells fishy. And I agree with you. Which is why we need to consult a professional lawyer with this.” she smiled at him.

 

Oliver took care of the dishes when Felicity settled down on the couch, fumbling around with her phone.  
“Helena? Hey, this is Felicity… yeah I know, it’s been a while… oh I’m fine, I just moved to Starling City… look, I need your help with something… no, no, nothing happened, I just need a lawyerly advice from you on something… I don’t know, any time next week?... wait, I’ll quickly check my schedule…” she muted her phone and turned her attention to the kitchen.

“Would Wednesday afternoon work? The letter from the Manager should be here by then. Helena is pretty packed after that…”

“Wednesday works fine.” he assured her.

“Helena? Yeah, I just checked; Wednesday afternoon works just fine… Alright, see you then.” 

“So, that is settled.” Felicity smiled at him when she put the phone on the coffee table in front of her. “Now it’s your turn.”

 

Just at that moment, Oliver’s phone started ringing. Oliver let a deep sigh when he saw the caller ID and it took a few moments before he answered the call.  
“Dad.” The word came out more as a statement than a greeting.

Felicity couldn’t make out much of the conversation and Oliver kept his replies as short as possible, but she wondered what must have happened between Oliver and his father to have such a restrained connection. She hadn’t met any of his parents yet, but even if Thea and Oliver barely spoke of their parents, they had at least told Felicity about their mother Moira. Their father though? Felicity couldn’t remember hearing Thea talk about him at all and Oliver only spoke about him once or twice because Felicity asked him about him. And now that she could hear the two men talking, it gave her a good idea on how tense their relationship really must be.

The call ended as quick as it started and Felicity could hear Oliver round the kitchen counter and take a seat next to her.  
“My father wants me to join him for the Starling City Art Charity in 2 weeks. Apparently my parents have several paintings for sale and the presence of the entire Queen family is obligatory.” he sighed and slumped back into the cushions.

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Felicity told him with a smile. “And Thea’s with you, so you won’t be on your own. I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”

“Would you like to join me?” Oliver suddenly asked her and Felicity tensed next to him.

“Oliver… I don’t know your family at all... except for Thea, of course. And I don’t think a Party would be the best place to introduce me. Besides, I don’t think an Art Gallery would be the place to be for a blind person.” she laughed but Oliver remained tense.

“I would really love to have you by my side then.” he tried again.

Felicity sat up straight next to him. “Oliver… I wasn’t interested in Art Galleries when I still had my eyesight, and back then I didn’t have to meet my parents in law at such an Event. Do you really want me to accompany you to such a Gala only because you don’t want to face the wrath of your parents on your own?” she asked him with a serious tone and Oliver only sighed next to her.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Such an Event really isn’t the best place to meet my parents. I would just have loved to have you there with me.” he kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug.

 

He let the call from his father sink in a few more minutes before he picked up the phone again and dialed the number of the Coast City Manager. Felicity listened closely while Oliver spoke to the man on the other line. The call didn’t last long and from what Felicity could make out, the other man sounded friendly and very helpful. Something that surprised her a bit.  
The man promised to send the letter as soon as possible and wished Oliver all the best for his career again before he ended the call.  
“This is still really confusing.” Oliver admitted after he put the phone back into his pocket. “But at least he didn’t change his mind or something.” he shrugged.

“Maybe we’re just being too leery of the entire situation and they really just changed their mind. Or maybe they realized they won’t be able to win any games with a Quarterback that had been forced into their Team…” Felicity shrugged. “Either way, we’ll be on the safe side as soon as the letter arrives here and we have taken everything to Helena.” she smiled at him.

 

After having to spend the Saturday morning with annoying calls, Oliver decided to spend the rest of the weekend on the couch with Felicity. The weather outside wasn’t improving anyway, so Oliver decided to order some food and enjoy the afternoon with his girlfriend. His Monday was package with appointments and training anyway, so he decided to make the most out of his two free days with Felicity. 

 

As soon as the weekend was over, Oliver and Felicity were caught up in appointments again.  
First thing on their timetable after Oliver returned from his early Training, was a visit at Dr. Bernstein’s office. Felicity had been on edge the entire morning because of it, and even Oliver’s reassuring words and gentle squeezes of her hand didn’t help her calm her nerves. She was nervous to hear what the Dr. had to say and if there had been any improvement to her eve condition at all.

As soon as they entered Dr. Bernstein’s office, Felicity took a seat, but nervously moved around the seat. When Dr. Bernstein entered and greeted them both and took a seat opposite of them, Felicity almost got crazy with nervousness.

“Oliver, Felicity.” he greeted them with a smile in his voice that let Felicity calm a tiny bit. “I received the medical files and compared them with the examination results from last week. So far it seems your eyes are recovering faster than I would have anticipated.” Felicity held Oliver’s hand in a death grip the entire time Dr. Bernstein spoke. As soon as she heard the words from him, she visibly relaxed. “As for the surgical treatment that you have been offered, from my point of view I can tell you that I don’t see this necessary. As long as the body can heal itself, I don’t see a reason to speed up the process with any kind of surgery. However, Felicity, you need to be patient for a while longer I’m afraid. Given the amount of time that has passed since the accident and the way your eyesight has improved since then, I’d say it can be several more months until you’d have your full eyesight back.”

“But it won’t just come back one day, right? I mean, will I wake up one day and be able to see again like before?” Felicity asked him, clearly confused.

“No, that’s not how this works I’m afraid.” Dr. Bernstein laughed.

“You told me you can make out bright and dark colors already. That’s usually the first step. The next step will be seeing full colors again, and another few weeks until you’ll be able to make out shapes and forms. And from that it’s just a few more steps until you’re fully healed again. But like I said, all that will take time.”

“Anything we can do to improve the situation or speed up the healing process?” Oliver suddenly piped in.

“Indeed. Keep applying the eye drops 3 times a day and try to use your eyes as normal as possible, meaning opening and closing them like you normally would, even if you can’t see. And keep wearing the sunshades every time you’re facing the sunlight, just so your eyes won’t get blended. If you’re following these steps and keep an eye on your overall health I’m sure we’ll see an improvement soon.” Dr. Bernstein told them and Felicity gave him a small smile.

“Well at least no bad news.” she mumbled and Dr. Bernstein let out a small laugh.

“Felicity, you have to understand that this is a great improvement. Normally patients with that kind of injury take up to a year until they can see lights and colors again. Your eyes are healing pretty fast, actually. Just have a little more faith and patience and it’s going to be fine.” he assured her.  
“And if anything comes up or if you have any questions, Oliver has my number. I’m available 24 hours.” Dr. Bernstein got up and rounded his desk while he spoke, gently patting Felicity’s shoulder.

“We’ll set up monthly appointments to check on the improvements on your eyesight, would that be okay for you?”

“Yes.” Felicity nodded with a smile.

“Now, would you let me have a look at your leg and wrist?” he asked her in a calm voice and Felicity’s head shot up in confusion.

“Oh, I… I thought you would only be treating my eyes?”

“Oliver told me you were thinking about checking in at Starling General to get your broken bones checked. We could do that here, as well. Only if you’re comfortable, of course.”

“Yes!” Felicity blurted out with a smile on her face. “Yes, absolutely.”

“Alright, Oliver, would you help Felicity over to the x-ray room? I’ll send a nurse to help you with the walking cast and bandage wrap and set up the x-ray so we can have a close look at the bone structure in your leg.” the Dr. smiled and made his way to the door. “I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

As soon as they were back in the Doctor’s office, Felicity’s leg neatly wrapped in a bright pink bandage and her black walking cast, Dr. Bernstein came in and pinned the x-rays to the light bar, comparing them with the old x-rays from a few months ago.  
“Well…,” the Doctor started after inspecting both pictures for a few moments, “it seems your bones have healed almost completely. In another week you can remove the walking cast and start walking around without it. Just make sure to keep the leg wrapped and make sure you start slow. I suggest physiotherapy to rebuild the muscles in your calf.”

“She could train at the Starling Archers Centre! I have a great personal physiotherapist, I’m sure he can help Felicity as well.” Oliver suggested.

“Well if that’s okay for you, Felicity? I’d sure help you with your recovery.” Dr. Bernstein told her.

“Uhm… I don’t know… sure, why not?” she shrugged.

“Great. I’ll make sure to hand Oliver your current medical file so he can forward it to the physiotherapist. He’ll work out a schedule with you then.” Dr. Bernstein told her.  
“Let’s set up a date for the next check-up for both your eyes and your leg to 4 weeks from today. But please come in in two weeks so we can remove the bandage wraps on your wrist and leg. It won’t be necessary to wear them longer than that.” the Doctor smiled at her.

 

Oliver and Felicity made their way to the front desk after Dr. Bernstein left them. While they waited for the nurse to hand him the medical files for the physio, Oliver realized Felicity’s silence.  
“Everything alright?” he asked her when he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his side.

“Yeah, it’s just a lot of information… I still need to process that, I guess.” she shrugged and gave him a small smile.

“Let’s get home and get on the couch. We’ll figure things out later.” Oliver told her before he placed a kiss to her temple. The nurse handed him a folder with a smile and they both made their way home after grabbing Lunch at Big Belly Burger on their way.

 

They spent the day talking about what Dr. Bernstein said and Felicity had to explain every detail again when Thea came over for a surprise visit. In the evening she gave Caitlin a call, letting her know about her healing process as well as asking for her relationship with Ronnie. Caitlin was very glad to hear about Felicity’s improvement but didn’t have much news when it came to Ronnie.  
“Work is keeping me busy, you know?”

“Cait, you really need to take more time for yourself. You know what all the work did to me, right? And Ronnie seems to be a really nice guy… don’t shoo him away with all your work.” Felicity laughed.

“You sound like me.” Caitlin told her and Felicity couldn’t help but giggle. But Caitlin was right. 2 years ago Felicity was the one who was drowning in her work when Cooper tried to ask her out for several weeks. If it hadn’t been for Caitlin, Felicity would have never given him a chance. Now that she thought about it, she realized she should never have.

 

 

The letter from the Coast City Falcons arrived just in time before Oliver and Felicity got themselves ready to visit Helena. When they arrived in Fall City and got to the building where Helena’s law office was located, the woman in question was already waiting for them.  
“Oh my god Felicity, are you alright?” Helena pulled her in a tight hug.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Felicity laughed when Helena let go of her. “Helena, this is Oliver – “

“Queen, I know who you are, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Helena interrupted her, offering a hand to Oliver with a smile.

“Let’s get inside and see how I can help you, and then you have to tell me what happened to you, Fee!”

They entered Helena’s office and took a seat on the large leather couch. Oliver took a seat next to Felicity and held his files in a death grip, still feeling very uncomfortable sitting at a lawyer’s office. He knew Felicity was right, that they had to consult a professional person to overlook the contract and annulment, but it made him feel uncomfortable nonetheless.  
“How can I help you, Fee?” Helena asked her when she took a seat opposite of the two.

“First of all, I need your absolute discretion in this matter. Nothing that we will tell you can make it out to the Media, or any person in general, for that matter.” Felicity warned her.

“Of course. Are you in trouble, Fee?”

Felicity hesitated for a moment and looked at Oliver who held the files in one hand and her hand in his other. When she gave him a gentle squeeze, Oliver cleared his throat before he spoke up.  
“This isn’t about Felicity, it’s about me.” he told her and Helena put her focus on Oliver now, listening closely.

 

It took Oliver more than 15 minutes to explain everything to Helena. She asked a few questions and took her time checking the contract and letter of confirmation that had been sent by the Coast City Falcons and with every passing minute of silence, Oliver got more and more nervous. He never let go of Felicity’s hand while they sat in Helena’s office and Felicity could feel the tension in his fingers and his palm becoming wet. She gave him an assuring squeeze and smiled at him under her sunshades.

“Well…” Helena suddenly spoke up and both Oliver and Felicity winced at the sudden break of silence. “So far it seems that this letter of confirmation is a legitimate one. The letter basically states that any agreements that have been made in the contract are invalid and the contract as it has been made on paper is no longer valid.”  
She smiled at the pair and Felicity could feel Oliver visibly relax into the seat next to her.  
“Of course I will check everything again this evening to make sure there aren’t any more hidden backdoors, but so far it seems as everything is lawful.”

“But Oliver,” Helena turned her attention fully to him when she spoke, “let me tell you that this isn’t usually how they handle contracts. One of their Players is a client of mine and I can tell you, you surely are on the lucky side with this – “ holding up the letter of confirmation while she spoke, “paper that they sent you. From what you told me, you would have had a hell of a time in that Team. Did you know you signed a 10-year contract with them?”

“What? I did not know that!” Oliver shot her a very surprised look.

Helena gave him a sympathetic laugh. “That’s what I guessed. Look here, clause #23,” she turned the contract in his direction and pointed to said clause with her pen and Oliver leaned closer to the desk.

“I’m guessing your emergency exit out of that contract would have been to accept, then play for their Team for a few months and drop out after 1 year.”  
Oliver looked at her with surprise and Helena just smiled and nodded at him. “Because that’s how I would have done it.” she winked at him and both could hear Felicity chuckle from beside them.

“Now the problem is this… clause #23 states that they keep the legal rights on your name and career once you sign on their Team. That sounds perfectly normal on the surface because as long as you play for them, they earn all rights about you as a Player, like every other Team does, too. But that little sentence here is what it makes everything a bit tricky.  
_‘If the contracting party, here Oliver Queen, won’t retire from his professional sporting career within the timeframe of 10 years, all rights remain with the Coast City Falcons and his respective stockholders.’_  
This sentence basically says that there’s only two ways for you to get out of this contract… by retiring and I doubt that’s what you have in mind at 28 years of age; or by quitting and looking for another Team. And that won’t be possible because with this clause the Falcons can simply forbid you to sign up with any other Team in the NFL, because they basically own all rights about you for next 10 years. Your career would have been over if you wouldn’t have decided to keep playing for the Falcons, Oliver.”

Helena’s voice became serious and both Oliver and Felicity stared at her in complete silence.  
“I didn’t know that… I would have never signed any of that had I known it!” Oliver rambled out, his head spinning in confusion at what Helena just told him.

“Well then I guess you’re lucky for receiving that letter from the Falcons.” she smiled at them and leaned back in the chair.

“So that’s it? Oliver doesn’t have to worry about anything regarding this contract in the Future?” Felicity asked her.

“Like I said, I’ll check everything again later tonight and will give you a call as soon as I worked my way through it. But so far I can give you an all-clear. Just, for the future, please don’t sign any of these contracts again.” Helena laughed and Oliver couldn’t hold back a huff either.

“Oh trust me, I won’t. I’m just glad I didn’t quit my contract with the Starling Archers yet.” he told her while Helena set up a file for Oliver and made copies of everything that he brought her.

 

They decided to head out for Dinner after that and Felicity took her time telling Helena about her accident and how she met Oliver during her vacation. They spent the entire afternoon in Fall City and when the sun started to set, it was time to say their goodbyes. Helena promised to call Felicity as soon as she worked her way through the papers to let her know if everything was fine before Felicity climbed into the Convertible next to Oliver.

 

Their way back home had been filled with chats about the contract and Felicity loved hearing Oliver talk so relaxed about the whole ordeal.  
“So I take it you’re happy I asked Helena for help?” she grinned at him while she let her head rest on the cushions of the passenger seat.

“Yes. Very. Thank you for helping me with this, Felicity… really, I… I don’t know what I could have done without your help.” he sighed and grabbed her hand, interlacing fingers with her and letting it rest on the shift boot.

“Hey, I don’t want to hear that guilt-laden, helpless voice any more, Mister!” she warned him and Oliver could just smile. “Like Helena said; everything’s going to be fine.” She smiled at him before she faced the road again, letting the wind mess with her hair until their arrived back in Starling City.

 

Helena's call later that evening confirmed that indeed everything was correct with the letter of confirmation and that the contract btween him and the Falcons has been forfeited. Oliver hadn't slept that good in several months.

 

 

The next two weeks flew by like crazy.

Felicity started treatments at the Starling Archers Centre after Oliver introduced her to his personal physiotherapist Max Fuller.  
Max checked Felicity’s overall physics and studied her medical files before he arranged a personal training plan for her. She really enjoyed training at the Archers Centre, knowing she was close to Oliver while he was out on the field with his Teammates. Having some sort of schedule again, even if it was just some training hours twice a week also got her back into a normal life, at least sort of. Finally getting a feel back in her feet was helping as well and Max always made sure she didn’t overuse her foot.

She also met John Diggle one day, one of Oliver’s closest friends on the Team and his Offense Lineman on the field. Getting to know more of his friends and teammates gave Felicity more confidence about the relationship with Oliver.  
After her second training session she sat in the Lounge, waiting for Oliver to finish his Training when Diggle approached her. They fell into an easy conversation and Felicity asked him to explain his position on the field to her, apologizing for not knowing anything about Football. Diggle laughed and told her what his job was on the Team, when Oliver suddenly emerged from the locker rooms.

“So… let me get this straight,” Felicity asked Diggle who had taken a seat next to her on the couch, “if it wasn’t for you, Oliver would lay in the mud face down first alllll the time?” she giggled and Diggle couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Pretty much, yeah.” he answered after a few moments.

Oliver kept watching the unusual pair from a distance for a few moments. His Felicity, barely 5,4’ tall, sitting next to his gargantuan friend Diggle, who almost took 2/3 of the couch and basically towered over her. And yet Felicity sat there, completely relaxed, gesturing around with her arms, her skirt dangling above her knees, laughing and smiling while she spoke. If Oliver could love her any more, he’d do that just in that moment.

With a smile plastered on his face, he shouldered his bag and made his way to the two.  
“Speaking of the Devil,” Diggle mumbled to her while Felicity laughed and giggled when Oliver approached them.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said with a smile when he put his bag down next to hers.

“Oh you haven’t called me like that in months no, baby!” a squealy, high pitched voice suddenly spoke up from next to her and Felicity burst out laughing.

“Shut it, Diggle!” Oliver told him with a laugh and pulled Felicity off the couch and into his arms, peppering her head with kisses. “Let’s head home, shall we? I still need to get into town and get my tux fitted for the Gala and I won’t have time for that later.”

“Sure,” Felicity replied after giving him some pecks on the lips. “I wanted to meet with Barry anyway, could you drop me off at the Police Station, maybe?”

“Yeah, sure… see you at Training tomorrow, Dig!” Oliver high-fived his friend and Felicity also waved him goodbye when they made their way out of the building and to the parking garage.

 

After stopping at home to get rid of their Sports bags and change into some fresh clothes, Oliver and Felicity made their way into the City. When they arrived at the Police Station, Captain Lance was waiting outside and Oliver gave him a quick nod when the Captain spotted him. When he got out of the car and helped Felicity up the stairs and into the building, he stopped to look around, searching for any sign of direction.

“Do you know where Barry’s office is?” Oliver whispered into her ear when suddenly, Captain Lance spoke up from behind them.

“Can I help you with something?”

“My girlfriend is looking for her cousin, Barry Allen. Could you let us know where to find him?” Oliver asked him, trying to keep his voice as modest as possible.  
Oliver and Quentin Lance didn’t have the best past, considering that Oliver 'dated' both his daughters at the same time and caused a lot of trouble and fight in the Lance household because of that.

“Your cousin Barry? You must be Felicity then,” Cpt. Lance spoke with a polite voice and turned his attention away from Oliver. “I’ll lead you to his office.”

“Thank you.” Felicity smiled and turned her attention to Oliver. “You don’t have to wait for me, Barry will take me home. If something comes up, I’ll call, promised. Now go and get that tux of yours fitted, I’m sure you’ll look sexy as hell in it.” she smiled at him and shooed him away when she put a hand on Lance’s arm and started following him through the precinct.

 

The afternoon with Barry had been very relaxing for her. With all the activities she had on her schedule right now, even if it were just a few, she felt almost as independent again as she was before the accident. Being blind didn’t feel as much as a burden any more as long as she could keep her mind occupied with other things such as physio, spending time with friends and family or talk wedding stuff with Laurel.

So for the afternoon, she took up Barry’s offer and head out for Coffee and Muffins. He took her to Balzac Coffee, a small Coffee Shop in downtown Starling City that quickly turned into her favorite spot for Coffee and Muffins. She loved the atmosphere in the small store and the fact that the coffee tasted like heaven there made everything just perfect. So whenever Felicity went into town, a stop at Balzac Coffee had been obligatory.

She took the time to tell Barry about her treatments at the Archers Centre and Barry told her a few bits of the cases he was currently working on. When Felicity turned the topic to his relationship status and the fact that she heard him talk to a very lovely sounding ‘Iris’ just an hour ago, Barry audibly blushed.

“Speaking of Iris,” he told her after he took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat, “I have something like a Date with her later at 8. Would it be okay if I take you home in half an hour?” Barry asked her hesitantly and Felicity just quirked an eyebrow at him with a grin.

“Well I sure don’t want to cockblock my most favorite cousin,” she grinned.

“You’re not cockblocking me… and I’m your only cousin.” Barry half mocked and Felicity had to giggle.

“Of course we can head home earlier, Barry! I’m happy you get to spend time with someone you like.” she smiled at him “But if it works out between you two I want to meet her!” Felicity warned him with a pointed finger before she grabbed her bag and coat and slipped out of the booth.

Barry just laughed slightly and shook his head when she looped his arm through his and they made their way to his parked Truck on the other side of the building.

 

When she arrived back at the Loft, Oliver was already home and relaxed in the living room.  
“Oliver?” she called into the apartment, waiting for a reply from him when she shrugged off her coat and ballet flat.

“Couch!” was the only reply she got from him. With a smile on her face, Felicity feeled her way through the hall and made her way to the couch to have a seat next to him.

“Did you enjoy your afternoon with Barry?” Oliver asked her and pulled her into his lap with a hug.

“I did. Did you get your tux fitted?” she asked him when she relaxed her head onto his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat.

“I did.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? We could leave whenever you get uncomfortable and I’m sure –“

“Oliver,” Felicity suddenly sat up, slipping out of his lap to have a seat next to him on the couch, her face straight. “we already had this conversation before, an Art Gala surely isn’t the right place for a blind person! And I won’t make myself uncomfortable by walking around there, permanently having to be plastered to your back, being surrounded by people I don’t know, talking about Art I can’t see. I’m sorry but this is not the right Event for a person in my condition. Especially not with all the Media presence that such an Event causes.” she told him with a firm voice and Oliver frowned slightly.

“Thea would be there, too. And Tommy and Laurel will be there, as well.” he tried again but Felicity immediately cut him off.

“Look, I know that you don’t want to go to that Event, and I know you don’t want to face your parents there, but even with Tommy, Laurel and Thea there, this is not my place to be, I’m sorry Oliver.”

When she heard him sigh, she gently patted his arm.  
“I’m sure it’s going to be fine. Walk around there for a few hours, talk to a few people, have a drink, say Hello to your parents and then leave when they start to bug you. It’s not that they can force you to stay as long as they do.” she assured him with a smile.

“You’re probably right.” Oliver exhaled lightly.

“Of course I am. When do you have to leave?”

“Friday evening at 7. The Event starts some time around 8. I’ll meet with Thea and Mom at the Mansion so we’ll drive there together. Dad will arrive some time later.”

“Any idea how long you’ll have to stay?”

“Not really, but as soon as I can skive off, I’ll come back.” he gently kissed her temple and pulled her into his arms again when they leaned into the couch cushions, feet propped up on the TV table.

“Guess I’m in for a boring evening then,” Felicity slightly chuckled. “Barry will be on another Date with Iris and Thea, Tommy and Laurel won’t have time for me either since they’re with you… I think I’ll call Caitlin then, see what she’s up to.” Felicity smiled.

 

 

When Oliver and Felicity got home from Training and physio on Friday afternoon, there wasn’t much time for kissing and cuddling. Oliver had to get ready for the Gala and Moira had arranged a driver to pick him up at 6.30pm, meaning there was only a little over 30 minutes left to get ready.

Once she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Felicity turned her attention to him. She got up and rounded the couch and waited for Oliver to close the distance between them.

She put her hands on his chest and let her fingers glide over the soft fabric of his jacket, feeling the button down shirt under it, covering his firm chest, moving with every beat of his heart.

“You smell so good, and that suit feels so… god, I would love to see you right now.” she sighed when she put her heart on his chest. Listening to his heart beating had become one of Felicity’s favorite sounds and whenever she got the chance to, she took it.

Oliver quickly grabbed the inside of his jacket and pulled out his phone. He opened the camera and snapped a selfie of them, Felicity with her head resting on his chest, her eyes closed. As quickly as he pulled out the phone and took the picture, as quickly he stashed the phone inside his suit jacket again.

“What are you doing?” she suddenly looked up at Oliver’s movement.

“Oh, I was just checking the time.” Oliver quickly lied. “The driver should pull up in 5 minutes.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? Thea could lend you a dress, just come with me to the Mansion; we could get you ready in no time.” Oliver asked her again, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt at that moment.

At that moment, Felicity pulled away from him, her face looking annoyed and on edge.  
“How many more times do I need to tell you that I am not going with you to that Event, Oliver?” she asked him, arms crossed over her chest after putting a small distance between them.

“I just –“

“NO, Oliver!” Felicity interrupted him, her voice sounding a little louder than she intended to and she could feel Oliver flinch a bit. “You have to respect my wishes in this. I wouldn’t want you to do something for me that you’re not comfortable with either, and I ask you to do the same for me.” she told him and Oliver just nodded in defeat.

Just at that moment the doorbell rang and Oliver had to head downstairs. He gave Felicity a quick kiss on the forehead, not sure if she would be okay with getting kissed on the lips right now after their heated argument, and promised her he wouldn’t stay long. She gave him a small smile and waited for the door to close before she slumped into the couch cushions again with a sigh.

She was in for a boring evening.

 

 

The Gala had been as boring as expected to Oliver. He kept his billionaire smile plastered on though and for the first 2 hours he shook more hands and had casual conversations than he could count, but if it wasn’t for multiple Champagne flutes and Tommy’s snotty side comments to him about some of some of Starlings 1-Percenters, Oliver would have already looked for a good escape route.

He had spotted Laurel, too, at some point, but unless himself she enjoyed Events like that. Plus, Tommy and her had been the center of attention for the last few months since their wedding announcement, and everyone kept bugging them with questions, so there wasn’t much time to enjoy the evening with his best friends either.

At some point he tried to locate his sister, but when he spotted her, chatting with what seemed to be one of her High School friends, he also scrapped the idea of spending the evening with her. Which led him to his last available friend for the evening – the Bar.

 

“Scotch, neat, please.” Oliver told the barman and as quickly as he had made the order, a Tumbler had been placed in front of him. After surviving almost 4 hours at the Event, he deserved himself a good drink… or two.

“Oliver,” a familiar voice appeared from behind him, jerking him out of his thoughts, making him turn around. “I didn’t expect to see you here.” 

“Dad.” Oliver tried to hide the annoyance in his voice when he faced his father for the first time in several weeks. “Well… you basically forced me to come. And I know how much Mom loves these Events, so…” he shrugged and took a sip of his Scotch.

“I see your Football Team found a new Sponsor again and you’re still listed as their Team Member. So I assume you haven’t taken into consideration what we talked about before you left to Spain with your mother and your sister?” Robert asked him with a reserved manner.

Oliver tried to hide the anger that slowly spiked up inside him. Ho took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves before he answered.  
“I have told you multiple times before and I will tell you again, Father… I love what I do and I have no intentions to change that.”

Robert eyed his son for a moment before he slightly shook his head with a smirk and took a sip from his Drink.  
“You say you love what you do and yet you manage to get yourself so deeply in trouble.” Robert told him, disdain clearly audible in his voice.

What are you talking about?” Oliver asked him, clearly confused and unsure what his father was meant.

 

“Isabel approached me last week,” Robert started with a smirk on his face before grabbing Oliver by the arm, leading him into a less clouded corner by the bar, “and she told me what you did and how much that could affect your and her future.”

Oliver completely froze at that statement. Could that be true? Could’ve Isabel really had the guts and approach his father about this? No matter what, Oliver decided not to give in so quickly.  
“WHAT are you talking about, Dad?” he snapped at his father, his patience clearly wearing thin.

“I am talking about the contract fiasco between you and that Football Team in Coast City, Son!” Robert snapped back and for a second Oliver was amazed how his father could sound so harsh and cold but yet keep his face completely free of any emotion.

At Robert’s comment, Oliver couldn’t hide the expression from his father any more. Pure shock covered his face, anger spiking up inside him more and more.  
“This is none of your business and Isabel had no right to talk to you about this. This is between her and me.” Oliver gritted out, the grip on his Scotch tumbler tightening, knuckles turned white.

Robert let out an annoyed laugh. “You are my son and this is very much my business now as it is yours. Actually, I am glad that Isabel came to me with this. If this would have blown over or made it to the public, do you have any idea what that would have caused to our name, Oliver? To the whole family and not only you? Your ignorance and egoism when it comes to your responsibilities of being a Queen had always been beyond me, but this really takes the cake.”

 

Oliver’s head felt like it was spinning. Ever since he got the Sports Scholarship after High school and decided to focus on his Football career instead of taking place in the family Company like his father expected him to, Oliver tried to avoid Robert as much as possible. For good reason, as situations as the one he found himself in at that moment, proved to Oliver.  
Once again Robert Queen didn’t hold back with his disapproval of his son’s life and the choices he made. There had been fights in the past about that topic, plenty of them, actually, but Oliver never wavered; never regretted his decisions and never considered taking up his father’s offer, which always left Robert Queen furious and usually ended the Dinner nights at the Queen Mansion with a sour taste when Oliver stormed out.

 

“It is time for you to finally accept your true responsibilities about being a Queen. I have tried long enough to make you understand and if this is the only way for you to finally realize it, then so be it.” Robert told him with a firm voice. Oliver didn’t know what to say, pure rage clouding his mind, ready to storm off and leave this goddamn Gala and just head back home. But with so many people around and the Media waiting outside, this wasn’t the place to cause a scene and storm off. Even Oliver knew that.

“There are no responsibilities for me to accept, and definitely none in your Company, Father!” Oliver spat out, taking a step closer to Robert, every muscle in his body tense. “I have told you countless times now and I am done telling you I will not take up any place in YOUR Company. This is not what I want and sure not what I am looking for for my future, so save your breath!”

His father didn’t give him much time to calm down though.  
“I don’t think you fully understand, Oliver.” Robert told him with an almost evil smile on his face. “Isabel didn’t just come to me to tell me about the contract. I bailed you out of it!”

Every expression Oliver still had on his face fell at that moment. His mind went completely blank and if he wouldn’t have kept his Scotch tumbler in a death grip, it would have shattered to the ground at that moment. He was barely able to keep listening to his father.

“I didn’t pay the 5 million to show any good will towards your flawed actions, Son. I paid it to make you realize your Sport will only bring you trouble and won’t get you anywhere in your life. Queen Consolidated however, will. Which is why you will start an internship at the Company by the beginning of next month. Once the semester break is over, you will also enroll at Starling University and start your Bachelor there.”

Before Oliver could protest, Robert cut him off. “And this is non-negotiable, unless you have a way to pay back the fine to me, which I highly doubt.” Robert smirked at his son and Oliver felt the strong urge to vomit. “You should thank me, Son. If I wouldn’t give you this chance, your career would be over and your reputation pretty much ruined as well. And I don’t even want to imagine the damage that you would have caused to the Queen name with this debacle. With my help you’ll now have the chance on a Job with a stable future. That Football thing can always stay a Hobby of yours; I don’t see a problem there.” he smirked at Oliver who could only stare at his father in shock and utter disbelief. It felt like his father had pulled the rug out from under Oliver’s feet.

 

Ever since Oliver left the High School and focused his career on his Sports, his father disapproved of his son more and more. Oliver never hid the fact that he wasn’t interested in taking place in his father’s Company, much to Robert’s disdain. Even more so when Oliver became rather successful and moved out of the Mansion. He regularly tried to change his son’s mind, trying to convince Oliver that a job at his family’s Company was a much better choice than a Sport he wouldn’t be able to do for longer than another 10 years.

“You can’t force me to join your Company, Dad!” Oliver grit out, trying hard to control his temper in the room full of people.

Robert just laughed at him.  
“I just did, Son. There doesn’t seem to be another way to finally get you to your senses, so this is the way it has to be now. I’m sure you’ll realize soon that I’m just trying to help you. I expect to see you at my office by Monday to set up all details.”

Robert raised his glass of Scotch with a smirk before he turned and walked away into the crowd.

 

“Fuck!!” Oliver yelled and several people surrounding him turned their heads in surprise. He rubbed his face and took a deep breath before he downed the Scotch that he held in a death grip the entire time his father spoke to him.  
What just happened? Did his father just force him into the Company by paying for a mistake he should have taken care of himself? Did his father just force him to end his Career at the Starling City Archers? His head started spinning so badly, Oliver had to take a deep breath before he headed to the Bar again and steadied himself on the counter.

“Oliver, dear… is everything alright between Robert and you?” Moira approached him from behind while Oliver downed his fourth Scotch of the evening.

“Oh, everything is fucking perfectly fine!” Oliver snapped at her before he turned his attention to the barman again. “You can leave the bottle, thanks.” Oliver told him when he received another refill.

Moira put a hand on Oliver’s shoulder and gave it another try. “This is a public Event, Oliver; please watch your tone and the amount of alcohol you’re consuming. We wouldn’t want to give the press another headline, would we?” she spoke to him with a warm, calming tone but Oliver didn’t stir. He grabbed the bottle and his tumbler and made his way to one of the balconies on the upper level.

“Right now, I don’t give a crap for any headlights, Mom.”

With that, he headed for the stairs and left Moira alone at the Bar.

 

 

As soon as he reached one of the more private balconies on the upper level of the building, he took a seat and loosened his bow tie. After taking a huge gulp of Scotch directly from the bottle, he pulled out his phone and tried calling Felicity. The only person he wanted to talk to right now couldn’t be with him right now and Oliver was sure if she would have been, the evening would have went a lot smoother for him.

When he dialed her number and pressed call, he got a busy signal.  
‘Awesome, now I try to reach her and she’s talking to Caitlin.’ he mumbled to himself before he took another large gulp.

After trying it a few more times, but always ending up hearing the busy signal instead of her voice, Oliver emptied the Scotch in one long gulp and made his way to the bar again, his gait already a bit unsteady. Tommy spotted him after a while and made his way over to Bar as well but when he reached it, Oliver was already leaving again, another bottle of Scotch in hand. Tommy just shook his head with a smile, making a mental note to give Oliver an extra early call the next morning, just to mess with his hangover-head.

When Oliver arrived back at the balcony again, a woman sat there, dressed in a long deep red gown, cigarette in hand.  
“You’re sitting in my place.” Oliver told her with a slight grumbly voice, not interested to find another quiet spot on the upper level.

“Oliver Queen.” the woman suddenly turned her attention to him, flipping her cigarette off the balcony into the darkness.

“Do I know you?” he replied and squeezed himself into the bench next to her, trying to find his tumbler that he must have left there somewhere.

“We went to High School together... I sat in front of you in Math and Chem,” she smiled at him. “I’m Amanda.”

“Well Hi Amanda, have you seen my Scotch glass?” he slurred back and Amanda just chuckled.

“No, I haven’t seen it, I’m sorry. But whatever, just drink from the bottle. Being a little rebellious at a boring Event like this is fun.” she grinned at him.  
“That’s why I keep smoking, by the way. My mother hates it. _‘That’s not lady-like Amanda. You’ll risk your health, Amanda. Look how the Media will see you, Amanda.’_ “ she mimicked her mother’s voice and rolled her eyes.

“You say your name a lot.” Oliver just slurred back while he tried getting the cap off the bottle.

Amanda chuckled and took the bottle out of his lap. “Let me, we won’t be getting anything to drink if you keep trying to get that bottle opened!”

“Get your own bottle, Lady! This one’s mine!” he told her with a raised finger, failing to sound intimidating.

“Still the possessive type like back in High School, funny.” Amanda laughed at him when she handed him the opened bottle. “Guess I need to get me my own bottle.” she announced and got up off the seat and made her way to the stairs. Oliver just watched her leave and shook his head before he relaxed into the bench again and once again tried calling Felicity. When he was getting the busy signal instead of her voice again, he groaned in annoyance.

“Awesome, not even your own girlfriend wants to talk to you. Well done, Queen, well done. You’ve royally fucked up.” he muttered to himself when he heard Amanda chuckle next to him.

His head shot up to her. “What?”

“You said you royally fucked up. Which is funny, since you’re a Queen.” She laughed and took a seat next to him again, placing a Magnum bottle of Champagne on the ground next to her, holding a filled flute in hand.

“Wow, where did you find that thing?” Oliver asked her when he spied the large bottle next to her feet.

“That? Oh… one of the waiters still owed me a favor.” she winked and took a sip of the Champagne. “So… what makes you think you’ve royally fucked up?” she asked him casually, crossing her legs under the long dress, letting her back rest against the bench.

“I really don’t want to talk about it.” Oliver grumbled, twisting the half filled bottle in his hands.

“Oh come on… the whole Event is boring as it is. Let’s have a little fun with reasons why we have fucked up! A story for a story!” Amanda announced with a grin. “I can even begin if you don’t want to.”

After a few moments, Oliver just nodded and waved a hand for her to start with a story.  
“Okay, let’s see… last year my mother caught me making out with our neighbor.”

“I don’t see anything fucked up with that.” Oliver told her, half confused, half annoyed.

“He was 14.” she told him with a grin while she sipped on her Champagne flute.

“Oh.”

“Yeah, that’s what my mother said, too. Among other things.” Amanda giggled. “Okay, now it’s your turn.”

Without thinking too much, Oliver told her the first story that came to mind. “I cheated on my girlfriend with her younger sister. And after we broke up and I started dating said younger sister, I cheated on her with her older sister again.” he told her with a flat voice, and Amanda looked at him with something like – amusement?

“Oh.” she told him with a laugh.

“Yeah well, I did hear more than that from them… twice. Both times.” Oliver shrugged and couldn’t keep a small grin from his face. “But we’re cool now, except for their father. He still hates me.”

“Could you blame him?” Amanda asked with a grin.

“Nope.” Oliver replied before taking another large gulp from the bottle.

They talked for a few more minutes until an older woman came up the stairs and asked Amanda away.  
“The Miller’s would like to talk to you, so could you please come downstairs and join me? This is not a Party. You can chat and drink anywhere else, right now I expect your presence at the Gala downstairs!” the older woman said in a firm voice that reminded Oliver of his father. Amanda just rolled her eyes and set the Champagne flute aside before she got up and headed downstairs.

“I’m sorry I have to leave again. If you feel bored, find me at the Bar downstairs.” Amanda grinned at him when she got up and followed her mother back down to the Gala.

Oliver just shook his head and huffed a laugh.  
The entire evening had been an utter disaster. Starting with the heated argument at home with Felicity, the dispute with his father, not being able to reach his girlfriend and no friends that have time to kill the evening with him. Oliver knew the Event wouldn’t be all fun and laughter, but he sure didn’t expect such a fallout from it.

 

Oliver was deep in thoughts, recalling everything Robert had told him, when suddenly Tommy took a seat next to him on the bench.  
“You okay man?”

“Yup. I’m just done talking to all these idiots down there, answering the same shallow questions over and over again.” he told Tommy before he took another gulp of Scotch.

“Want a ride? Laurel isn’t feeling too well so we’ll head out and I’m sure your parents would excuse you leaving with us.” Tommy offered but Oliver shook his head.

“I honestly don’t care what my parents would excuse of and what not. Thanks for the offer but you’d have to drive through the entire City to get to my Apartment and then back to yours. I’ll call a cab a soon as I have this bottle finished.” Oliver slurred and waggled the half filled bottle in his direction.

Tommy just shook his head with a smile and patted his shoulder when he got up from the bench.  
“Alright, take care buddy.”

 

With that, Tommy walked back to the stairs. When he was out of sight, Oliver checked the bottle that he never let go of since he got it from the bartender. Less than half full – _‘that shouldn’t take too long’_ he muttered when he got up from the bench and slowly made his way down the stairs on slightly unsteady feet.  
“Why miss all the fun.” he spoke to himself when he took one step at a time until he arrived at the main level again, the Gala still in full swing. Oliver made his way through the crowd and found a spot near the side entrance. He set the bottle aside and leaned onto the pillar, observing the crowd with blurred vision.

“God, I hate everyone in this room.” he spoke to himself while he watched people talking, laughing and dancing.


	17. The Gala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 Chapters in two days? Yess! :D
> 
> With all the freak-out in the Comments on the last Chapter, I decided to just post another one instead of making you wait another few days. :)  
> Enjoy (or hate it, that's up to you)!
> 
> Major ♥ to my two fvorite fangirls gigigirl31 and OhhMyyDarla!

“God, I hate everyone in this room.” Oliver spoke to himself while he watched people talking, laughing and dancing.

“Me too?” a female voice suddenly piped up from beside him.

Oliver slowly turned around, steadying himself on the pillar.  
“Not you, Speedy. You’re the most normal person in this room right now.” he slurred before he wrapped his arm around her neck in a death grip and started rubbing her head with his knuckles.

“Oww, Ollie! Stop it, you ruin my hairstyle!” Thea grimaced, trying to free herself from his grip.  
“You’re completely wasted.” she told him while she flatted her tousled hair and took in his unsteady appearance and the loose bow tie. “It’s so unfair… Mom doesn’t let me drink more than one glass of Champagne and you hang around here in a corner, completely boozed.” she pouted.

Oliver shoved the half full bottle of Scotch in her direction. “Want some?”

“Naah I’m fine. Kelly snagged us a bottle of Champagne from the Bar earlier. Just a friendly advice: Don’t pass out on the Dance floor.” Thea grinned at him and started making her way back to her friend who was waiting for her beside the main entrance.

 

Oliver watched his little sister walk away and silently wished he could live as carefree as she lived, not having to fight with his father or constantly having to justify his own life choices in front of his parents. Lost in thoughts about his life compared to his little sisters’, he didn’t notice his mother approaching him.

“Oliver, dear… do you have a minute?” Moira arrived beside him, gently putting a hand on his arm, trying to take away the bottle from his other hand. Oliver resigned after a moment and loosened the grip on the bottle, letting Moira set it aside and fully face him.  
“What happened between Robert an you? And don’t tell me it’s nothing, because you are completely drunk in the middle of a Charity Event and I have seen you and Robert talk earlier. Don’t make me ask Robert about this, dear.” Moira asked him, keeping her voice gentle and calm while she spoke to him.

“ _Dad_ is forcing me to join the Company.”  
Oliver laughed ironically and shook his head. His father finally managed to change his life 180 degrees. Oliver had tried to fight it for years and always succeeded, and now that one mistake blew him in the face.

Moira furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. “I don’t think I understand, Oliver.”

“Yeah, that makes us two.” he slurred back. “I made a mistake, Dad took the rap for me and as a _‘Thank you’_ he now forces me to start working in his Company. Ironic, isn’t it?” he spoke with a forced laugh before he started looking for the bottle of Scotch again.

“Oliver – “

“Mom, spare me any big speeches on responsibility or the burden of being a Queen, please. Dad already had plenty of these today. I’m good.” he told her before he located the bottle on a table behind him, grabbed it and took another gulp.

Moira gave her son a worried look and exhaled slightly. She put her hand on his cheek and gave him a warm smile. “Join us for breakfast tomorrow at the Mansion, will you? We can thoroughly discuss it then. I’m sure that’s just a misunderstanding between the two of you.”

“Oh, Dad made his intentions pretty clear, trust me.” Oliver just laughed ironically. “And I’d rather avoid him as much as possible for now.”

Moira let out d defeated sigh, unable to cheer up her son any more when Oliver suddenly set the bottle away and straightened away from the pillar. “I need some air.”  
With that he turned to the side entrance and made it to the door in slow, unsteady steps.

 

As soon as the fresh air of Starling City hit him, the full force of almost 2 bottles of Scotch and several glasses of Champagne kicked in. His head started spinning and for a moment he felt like vomiting. Once he steadied himself on the railing of the stairs and took a few steps down to lean against the cement wall, Oliver fumbled for his phone. It took him multiple times to unlock the screen but once he managed, he clicked his #1 speed dial contact in hope of the all familiar voice.  
For a moment he was surprised to actually hear it ring instead of getting a busy signal again. When no one picked up the phone after the 7th ring, he ended the call and stuffed the phone in his jacket again with a sigh. So much for talking to his girlfriend tonight, he thought to himself.

When he realized that he left his Scotch bottle inside after fleeing from his mother, Oliver turned around and slowly headed back inside. The smell of expensive perfume, smoke and Champagne hit him like a wall once he opened the door to the building and took a step inside. He immediately spotted the bottle and made a beeline for it.

“Not going to abandon my liquid friend.” Oliver mumbled to himself on his way to the table. He earned some confused looks when he wrapped the bottle in a tight hug, before he made his way for the Exit once again, leaving the room with a burp that he didn’t even feel bad for. He just wanted to get out of that crowded, smelly room full of people he didn’t know or didn’t like.

 

As soon as he arrived outside at his desired spot again, he realized how much he preferred the noise of the City over the chatting and voices inside that Gala building. The sounds of car horns and sirens in the distance, coupled with silent chatters of people passing by the building instantly relaxed him more than he had been the entire evening inside that Gala.

“Hey, you’re leaving without a goodbye?” a female voice suddenly appeared from the door when Oliver took two more steps downstairs.  
He had to steady himself on the railing before he turned around to see who was calling out for him.

 

“Long time no see.” Sara grinned at him and took in his appearance. “Looks like your thoroughly enjoying the evening. God, you’re wasted.” she smirked.

“The Party sucks but the Scotch is okay.” he just shrugged and Sara had to laugh slightly. “Didn’t know you were here.”

“Yeah well, Dad got an invitation and since Laurel went with Tommy as well, Dad thought it would be a good idea if I’d join the family fun, too since I was in town anyway.” Sara shrugged and rolled her eyes while she spoke.

“And from your appearance I take it you have some _‘family fun’_ as well?” she giggled at him and Oliver just groaned slightly.  
“Want to grab another Drink and tell me? You know I’m a good listener.” she shoulder bumped him and Oliver had to grip the railing next to him to not fall down the stairs at that. “Well, maybe just a Water for you instead of another drink. Come on.” Sara smiled at him, linked her arm through his and tried to pull Oliver back into the building.

When she tried to grab the Scotch bottle from him to put it on a dumpster, Oliver tightened his grip on the bottle. “I’m not going to leave Wilson behind!” he suddenly slurred out and Sara gave him a confused look.

“Wilson?” she cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Yup, Wilson,” he announced and waggled the bottle in front of her. “he’s keeping me Company since everything went to shit at that shitty Gala.” Oliver slurred.

“Well… it seems like Wilson already left the Party.” Sara snickered when she eyed the empty bottle in Oliver’s hand.

When Oliver looked down as well, he realized that indeed he must have emptied the bottle already at some point. With a shrug of his shoulders he threw the bottle into some bushes next to the stairs and turned his attention to Sara again.  
“You said something about Drinks?” he grinned at her, unsteadily swaying a little on his feet.

“No, I said something about Water for you… or a strong Coffee. Come on.” she pulled him up the stairs and back into the building while she spoke.

 

They both took a seat on the far corner of the bar.  
“You look good.” Oliver suddenly spoke up after the barman brought them both a Coffee and a bottle of water.

“Why thank you, Oliver. I’m sure my girlfriend would agree with you.” she winked at him and opened the water bottle before placing it in front of him on the table.

Oliver’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Sara’s statement. “What? You’re fighting for the other Team now?”

Sara only let out a hearty laugh at that and just nodded her head. “You could say that, yeah.”

“Wow.”

“Wow what, Ollie?” Sara grinned at him.

“I messed up your love life so much that you became a Lesbian! I’m sorry.” he looked at her and Sara could make out a mix of confusion, guilt and a lot of drunkenness in his facial expression while he spoke but still she couldn’t hide her laugh about what he said.

“Oh it’s fine Ollie, really. You didn’t mess me up and I’m actually enjoying my relationship with Nyssa.” she smiled at him.

“Nyssa? Tell me about her.” Oliver replied but Sara cut him off.

“Yeah nope, we’re not talking about my girlfriend now. But you could tell me what happened between you and your family instead.” she grinned at him and took a sip of the coffee sitting in front of her.

Oliver groaned and rubbed his neck. After everything blew up in his face already, there was no need to hide the Story any more, at least not from one of his closest friends.

“I’ll spare you the details, but Dad basically forced me to start working at QC.” Oliver told her before letting his head hang down in defeat.

Sara let out a small laugh. “Yeah well, we both know it’s not the first time he tried that. So what’s the deal? Tell him he can kiss your ass and keep on doing your thing like you always did.” she shoulder bumped him again but Oliver didn’t look up.

“It’s not that simple this time.” he told her, never looking up from his steaming cup of coffee. “He smoothed out a pretty big mistake that I made a few months back and now I’m in his debt. Pretty deep, actually. And as long as I can’t pay him back, there’s no way for me to get around that.”

“How deep is the hole he pulled you out?” Sara asked him cautiously.

“5 Million deep?” The sentence left him more like a question than a statement.  
Sara let out a hearty laugh, gripping the counter when she let her head fall back.

When she realized Oliver didn’t move a muscle, not even looking up from his coffee mug, she immediately stopped laughing.  
“Wait, you’re serious? Jesus, Ollie… what kind of shithole did you jump into to get in that much trouble?” she asked him with a very concerned tone.

“I signed a contract I better had avoided.” Oliver just shrugged and took a sip from his water.

 

It took Sara a few moments to process everything. She knew Oliver had always dreaded to work in the family Company; that he always wanted to live his own life, doing the stuff he wants. She knew that there had been regular fights with his father about this, but so far, Oliver always managed to avoid his way around any working position at Queen Consolidated.  
“Man, that’s… pretty fucked up.” was all Sara could bring out.

“Yuppp.” Oliver replied, rolling the ‘p’ for several seconds and emptied the water bottle in one large gulp.

“You know what? You’re right. This Party sucks and we should head out. Laurel’s long gone anyway and I’m not going to wait for Dad. Want to join me and grab a Cab?” Sara offered and Oliver thought about it for a moment.

“You’re probably right. But I’d say your father will kill me if he sees us leaving together and the way he constantly keeps an eye on us right now already bothers me enough.” Oliver nodded over his shoulder to where Quentin Lance stood, casually talking to some attendees, always keeping a close eye on Oliver and his daughter.  
“Go grab a Cab. I’ll just finish this Coffee and head back home then, too.” he smiled at her.

Sara nodded at him with a smile and got up from her chair.

“Call me if you need someone to talk. I’ll fly back home on Sunday, so if you want to meet for a Coffee before that, just let me know. Bye, Ollie.” she smiled at him and pulled him in for a warm hug.

“Thanks Sara. You kind of saved my evening.” he slurred at her after she loosened the hug and took a step back from him.

“I thought Wilson did that?” she giggled and Oliver had to grin slightly.

“He was helping with the suppression part, but I prefer people who actively participate in a conversation.” he grinned at her and Sara only let out a laugh.

“Alright big buddy, take care. And call me!” she smiled and waved at him before she turned around and made her way to the doors.

 

 

**\--------------------**

 

Oliver wasn’t home when Felicity decided to go to bed at 1am, too tired to wait for him any longer. But since Oliver already told her it could be late, she didn’t give it too much of a thought. Oliver rarely went to these Events and Galas and he already told her that people would always try and lull him into boring, long conversations, so Felicity didn’t worry too much about it.

She tried calling him a few times that night though when she was about to go to bed, just wanting to ask him when he would be back home. When he didn’t answer the phone, she decided to call it a day and go to bed alone.

 

When Felicity woke up the next morning, Oliver’s side of the bed was empty again, although she could feel that he had slept in there. When she got up and went down the stairs to the kitchen after making a beeline for the bathroom, Felicity could hear the coffee maker and him moving around, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Good morning,” she said with a sleepy voice, feeling her way to a kitchen stool to hop on. “I didn’t hear you come back last night. When did you come home?”

Oliver quickly came around the kitchen counter and gave her a sweet kiss to the forehead.  
“Around 3, I guess. Sorry I didn’t call to let you know it would be late, I got… caught up.”

Oliver knew he would have to tell Felicity about what happened with his father and how much it would change and affect their future soon, but he wasn’t ready to tell her that just yet. He made a mental note to clear his schedule for some days, leave town with her and explain everything to her then.

“Do you want coffee? I also got you some of the Cronuts from that Bakery that you love so much, they’re right on the table.” he said with a smile in his voice and Felicity immediately started fishing for the box of goodies in front of her.

She took a bite once she got ahold of one and hummed at the delicious taste.  
“When did you get these?”

“On my morning run.” Oliver shrugged.

“Oliver, it’s like 8am right now… You ran all the way to the Bakery downtown? When did you sleep?” she stopped chewing and looked at him with surprise.

“I didn’t sleep that well, so I decided to go for an early run and took the longer route.” Oliver told her like it was no big deal.

“You didn’t have to do that for me.” Felicity told him with a genuine smile when she took another bite.

“I’d run to the end of the world for you.” Oliver told her with so much love in sincerity in his voice that Felicity could just smile at him brightly.  
“I want to spend the day with you, Felicity. It’s been too long since we had some time alone, away from Starling. Let’s go somewhere, maybe even a Hotel out of town, just the two of us.” Oliver wrapped his arms around her from behind while he spoke, burying his nose in the crook of her neck, peppering her head and shoulders with kisses.

Felicity let out a sigh. She loved the sweet gesture Oliver meant to do, but right now, there wasn’t any time for a spontaneous vacation like that.  
“You know we can’t, Oliver. Laurel basically forced me to help her with all the wedding prep and I can’t cancel that last minute. And with your Training schedule I’m sure coach Wilson would kick your ass if we went away even for a few days now. He’d kick mine as well, probably.” she giggled before she took another bite of the Cronut. “But we could have coffee later as soon your Team Meeting is over?”

Oliver groaned “Fine, but as soon as we have the chance, we’ll re-schedule. I want to run away with you for some time. Just the two of us. Away from Starling City for a few days.”

“I would certainly love that.” Felicity genuinely smiled at him.  
“So, how was the Gallery? Did I miss any exciting art?” she casually asked him while licking her fingers before fishing for another Cronut.

Oliver hesitated, not sure on what to say. He didn’t really care for the Art that they presented there and wasn’t ready to tell her about the fight with his father yet, so he opted for the most casual answer possible.  
“It was boring, nothing exciting there. I should have skipped it and spend the evening with you instead.” he said, kissing her neck once more.

“A boring Event and yet you stay until 3am? Sounds not so boring to me.” she grinned, lifting the Cronut above her head to let him have a bite.

Oliver just took a small nibble and went back around the counter to his coffee mug but didn’t say a word.  
“Oliver?” Felicity looked up from her mug. “Is everything okay? You sound different this morning.”

“Yeah, sorry… I really didn’t sleep well… the Champagne got to me, I guess. I met some old friends from High School and we got caught up. Oh and I met Sara again.” he quickly replied.

“Sara?” Felicity asked him over a sip of her coffee.

“Laurel’s younger sister. I haven’t seen her in a few months; she works for a Security Company out of State.”

 

Felicity listened to him closely when suddenly her phone started ringing. She set her coffee mug aside and immediately picked up her phone after wiping her fingers on her sleep shorts.

“Hello? Hey, Laurel! …... Yeah, no problem… wait, I’ll ask him.”

“Could you drop me off at Laurel’s place in an hour?”

“Sure. I need to pick up some suits from the dry cleaners anyway” Oliver shrugged.

“Laurel? Yeah, he’ll drop me off at your place in an hour. Alright, see you then!”

 

Felicity smiled and ended the call and quickly got up from the chair. “I need to hurry up now if I don’t want to be late. I’m in the shower!” she called while Oliver watched her rushing out of the kitchen and up the stairs to their bedroom.

 

They arrived at Laurel’s Apartment almost an hour later. Oliver led her up the stairs and knocked on the door when a giggly, ecstatic Laurel opened the door and gave them both a warm hug.  
“I’m SO happy you’re coming with me, Felicity! My sister had to cancel due to some work emergency and doing wedding shopping alone is pretty pathetic.” Laurel snorted and Felicity could only laugh at that. “You’re ready?”

“As ready as I can be.” Felicity sighed with a smile and turned her attention to Oliver while Laurel skirted through her Apartment, filling her handbag with everything she’d need for the day. “Meet me at Balzac Coffee around 3? Or will the Team meeting take longer than that?” Felicity smiled at him before she pulled Oliver in a warm hug.

“3 should be fine. The meeting is scheduled until 3.30, but we’re usually done before that. If anything comes up, I’ll give you a call. Have fun today. I love you.” He whispered to her before pulling her into a sweet, passionate kiss.

Felicity had to try push him away 3 times after Laurel cleared her throat beside them. When he had to break the kiss to get some air, Laurel spoke up.  
“Geez, relax, you two lovebirds… you’ll have her back tonight, Ollie.” she rolled her eyes at him before she shooed them both out of her Apartment and closed the door behind her.

 

 

After being dragged through the streets of Starling City by Laurel, wandering from the Bridal Store to the Hairdresser and back to the Mall, Felicity was very happy when they finally take a seat at Balzac Coffee. Laurel quickly ordered them a Latte and slipped back into the booth next to Felicity.

“Wedding shopping is so exhausting; do your feet hurt as bad as mine?” Laurel asked while putting the Latte in front of Felicity.

“You have no idea” Felicity mumbled before fishing for the plastic mug on the table, wiggling her toes around in her ballet flats to soothe the pain from walking around almost 5 hours straight.

 

They talk about the final arrangements for the wedding and flight plans to get everyone to Marbella in time when suddenly Laurel looks down at her watch and realizes she’s almost running late.  
“Oh goodness, it’s almost 2.30! My hair appointment! I’m so sorry Felicity, but I really need to leave. Should I call Ollie or Tommy to pick you up? Unless you’d want to join me, of course?” she laughed and Felicity waved her off.

“No no, it’s okay. I like my hair the way it is, thank you.” she grinned at Laurel. “Oliver will meet me here around 3, so I’ll just wait for him. Go ahead, get your wedding hair done, girl!” Felicity laughed and made a fist pump before shooing Laurel away from the table. “Could you just order me another Latte and a Donut before you leave so I won’t have to sip on my empty mug for 30 minutes?” Felicity grinned while she waggled her cup around in front of her.

Laurel patted her shoulder with a wide grin. “Everything for my favorite bridesmaid.”

“I’m not your bridesmaid, Laurel.” Felicity replied with a stern voice, trying to keep her face serious.

“No, but you know how much I loved you in that dress!” Laurel replied before she made her way back to the counter to order Felicity another Coffee and Donut.

“I really gotta go now. I don’t want them to rush my hair because I’m running late!” Laurel quickly spoke while placing the goods on the table in front of Felicity. “See you later, Fee!” she called when Felicity heard her running out of the Coffee Shop with clicking Heels.

 

Felicity could just smile whole heartedly. Ever since Felicity arrived in Starling City almost 3 months ago, Laurel and her became somewhat close friends. And even though Felicity never bonded with these type of women before, it felt like the friendship with Laurel came very naturally. They came from two complete different worlds; Felicity being the nerdy, tech geek that always loved to wear bright colored dresses and even brighter nail polishes; and Laurel, the classy business woman that fancied expensive Designer Labels and loved to be around the 1-Percenters. And yet Felicity really enjoyed spending time with her.  
She liked Laurel’s light and natural behavior, even though she could be somewhat exhausting when it came to the Wedding preparations or Shopping Tours in general.

Felicity leaned back and sipped on her Latte while she thought about how Laurel talked her into putting on the bridesmaid dress while they were in the Bridal Store for the last fitting of Laurel’s dress.

 

\-----

_Felicity really didn’t want to put on someone else’s dress, especially not one she couldn’t see, but after hearing Laurel’s Ohhhh’s and Awwww’s she quickly pulled out her phone and shoved it into Laurel’s face._

_“If you’re squealing like a child at the sight, make sure I can at least have a look at it when I have my eyesight back!” she told her and Laurel took some pics of Felicity in the pale blue bridesmaid gown before Felicity quickly undressed again and handed the dress back to the handlers._

_“Ooooh, I have a brilliant idea!” Laurel suddenly announced and clapped her hands together excitedly when Felicity arrived back from the changing room.  
She could only imagine what must be going on in Laurel’s brain right now._

_“You should be one of my bridesmaids!” Laurel squealed before hopping down the fitting platform, running into Felicity’s arms while dragging her wedding dress and the two handlers working on the seam behind her._

_“Whoa, easy buddy!” Felicity tried stopping her when Laurel flung her arms around her and had to take a step back before Laurel could tackle them both to the ground with her excitement._

_“What is going on with your mood today?” Felicity asked her in laughing confusion when Laurel steadied herself again and Felicity could take a step back. “You’re even more squealy than I am on my worst days. And that means something!” she laughed._

_"I'm just so excited." Laurel grinned at her. "So?"_

_“No, I am not going to be your bridesmaid, Laurel." Felicity replied with a firm voice.  
"Do you even remember your wedding date? Because I sure do. I won’t have my eyesight back within 2 weeks and even if I did, they wouldn’t be able to make me a dress in such short time.”_

_“Well, actually… -“ one of the handlers working on Laurel’s dress suddenly piped in, but before she could complete the sentence, Felicity cut her off.  
“No. And honestly, I don’t want to engage in any more activities with my blindness. I’m super honored that you and Tommy have invited me to your wedding and that you asked me to help you with the preparations, but I really can’t be your bridesmaid, Laurel.” Felicity tried to explain as gentle as possible and Laurel just hugged her._

_“I know… it’s just another crazy idea of mine. You know me.” Laurel shrugged before making her way back onto the fitting platform._

_“That I do.” Felicity mumbled with a grin._

\-----


	18. When it rains, it pours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just adding the famous words sung by Florence & the Machine...
> 
> 'It's always darkest before the dawn.'

Felicity was glad she became friends with Laurel so easily. In College, most of her friends were male and it was refreshing for her to bond with another female now, even if said female was a complete Diva at times. While she thought about all the women in currently in her life, most of them thanks to Oliver, Felicity immediately missed having Caitlin around.

Her best friend had been a very close friend since College and ever since the accident the two were almost inseparable. And the more time Felicity spent in Starling City, away from Caitlin, the more she missed her.

Laurel was the complete opposite of Caitlin but still Felicity bonded with both of the women very easily. Thea wasn’t any different, but the fact that Oliver’s younger sister was a vivid, spunky creature of life that infected everyone around her with her positive and squealy attitude, Felicity wasn’t surprised she grew to like Thea so much so quickly.

 

Reveling in the thoughts about the female friends in her life, Felicity took a bite of her Donut and sipped on her Latte, until she started overhearing a conversation of 3 women on the table behind her, talking about an all familiar person.

At first she thought he mis-heard them, but when the name fell again, she leaned closer into her seat and listened curiously, completely abandoning her principles of not eavesdropping others peoples conversations at that moment.

The women were laughing and giggling for a while, when suddenly one of the voices became more serious.  
"Now we heard you left the Bonham Gala with company that night,” Felicity heard one of the voices say. “Tell us every dirty little secret about the glorious Oliver Queen! Are his... _‘assets’_ really as impressive as the rumors say?"

Felicity’s eyes went wide and she had to snicker slightly. She had heard these kinds of Stories before. Women trying to make up Stories about Oliver sleeping with them to impress their friends, so she didn’t give it any more thought but just grinned into her mug with a chuckle and slightly shaking head before taking another sip.

But she had to admit, she was curious what the other woman might answer. This would be way too much fun later if these women would see Oliver walk over to Felicity’s booth and kiss her Hello, she thought, before she put her attention back to the women talking at the table behind her.  
"Well we left that Gallery Party around 1 in the morning I believe and I have to admit he's quite the awesome kisser!” the woman replied, which earned an ‘oooooh’ and a giggle from the other two women.

“Oh god I'm so jealous!”  
“What happened then?” the two women asked in unison.

Felicity was confused for a moment. That woman obviously knew that Oliver was at the Gala.  
“Well, maybe she just saw him there, it’s not that is was a private Event.” she thought to herself before she kept on listening what was said at the table behind her.  
The woman’s voice became a lot quieter and Felicity had to listen very closely to still understand what the woman told her friends.

“ Well we started making out in the Cab before we ended up in my Hotel Room and all I'm going to tell is that he made me come 3 times!” the woman whispered over the table before giggling like a little girl at her two friends.

“Oh god Amanda! I am SO jealous!” one of the other voices suddenly whispered. “Did you leave the Hotel together this morning? Will you see him again?” her friends asked while practically jumping in their seats.

Felicity shocked back in surprise. Even if everything sounded just like the Stories she’d heard plenty of times before, her body went rigid and her mind stopped working for a moment while she kept listening to the woman telling her Story.

She heard the woman take a sip of her coffee before she spoke again.  
“Well he was gone by the time I woke up this morning, I guess he must have left some time after I passed out last night,” she giggled. “I don't know if we'll meet again, I gave him my number, so we'll see.”

“Do you know his Ex is pregnant with his kid? Carrie told me last week when I dropped off some papers at the Company where his Ex works. It’s still unofficial, I guess because of their break-up, but pretty much everyone at Lawton Inc. knows already.”

“I don’t care about that, honestly. We were just having fun; I’m not trying to drag him into a relationship or something. But for the fun part… I could certainly do that again.”

Felicity could practically hear the wide grin the woman had plastered on her face while she spoke to her friends who still laughed and giggled at everything that woman told them.  
“He has that hot little scar on his hip that got me addicted. I wouldn’t mind exploring that again.” the woman practically grinned at her two friends and Felicity froze in shock.

 

The scar. The scar she knew all too well. The scar that he got a few days after he arrived back from the vacation in Marbella when he bumped into the edge of his kitchen counter so hard he had to get stitched up. The scar that she caressed every night they made love in his bed.

This woman couldn’t know of that scar. Oliver never publicly spoke about that and even if the Paparazzi would have take a picture of him topless at some point, the scar would still sit too low on his hip for them to notice. And when he got that scar, Oliver and she were already seriously dating… at that thought, Felicity slowly started to panic.

And suddenly it all made sense. Him being gone at the Gala for so long, even though this morning he told her it had been a boring Event.  
Not being able to reach him when she tried calling him several times before she went to bed.  
His sweet but somehow distant behavior this morning that was so unlike him.  
The plea to leave town with her for a few days, even though Tommy’s and Laurel’s wedding preparations were in full swing and Oliver had important training sessions he couldn’t miss by any chance.  
Suddenly it all made sense to her.

 

Before she knew it, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and her fingers started to shake. The women at the table behind her kept talking but Felicity’s ears went deaf. Everything around her became silent and her mind went blank. She didn’t know what to do.

Wiping her tears away with shaking hands, she started rummaging through her handbag, trying to locate her phone. Before she could give it any second thought, she asked her phone to call the first person that came to her mind right now.

“Hey, Felicity, how are you?”

“Barry, uhm... I need your help please,” Felicity whispered with a shaking voice, more tears silently running down her cheeks. “Are you in Starling City right now?”  
She tried not to cause a scene in the Coffee Shop, she really tried, and slid deeper into the booth, away from prying eyes that could see or hear her.

“Yeah, I am… what’s wrong, Felicity? You sound terrible!” Barry answered, sounding clearly concerned.  
“I need you to pick me up, please. As quick as possible. I’m at Balzac Coffee downtown. Please, Barry. I didn’t know who else to call” she whimpered, unable to calm the shaking of her limbs stop the tears that ran down her face.

“Felicity, hey… calm down,” Barry replied in a soothing tone and Felicity could hear him running down the stairs and doors closing behind him. “I’m already on my way. I’ll be there in less than 10 minutes.”

“I’m waiting at the back exit; just ask for it at the counter. And if you see Oliver, please don’t tell him anything Barry, please!” she begged with a whisper, words almost failing her.

“Felicity, what happened? Did he do something? Did he hurt you?” Barry asked, anger growing in him with every word Felicity spoke.

“No, just… please get me out of here, Barry. I don’t need a public breakdown right now.”

 

Felicity ended the call and fumbled for a tissue from her bag to wipe her eyes and cheeks before putting her sunglasses back in place. She took a deep breath and slowly slid out of the booth, her Latte and the half eaten Donut long forgotten. She grabbed her bag and took two steps forward, trying to get ahold of the Counter she knew must be somewhere in front of her.

After she half tumbled over a chair that stood in her way, Felicity finally got ahold of the counter. When she steadied herself and took another deep breath to calm her nerves, she called out for someone behind the counter.  
“Excuse me?”

A young man whose voice Felicity already knew quickly walked up to her. “How can I help you, Miss?” he asked with a smile.

“Could you lead me to the back exit, please?”

The young man looked at her with a confused face, but didn’t ask any questions, which Felicity was very grateful for. She was almost sure he took in her broken state and decided not to intervene any further but just help her to the back Exit.

“Of course, Miss. I’ll be right at your side.” he smiled and made his way around the Counter. When she felt a hand gently pat her arm, she looked over to the side and gave him a forced smile.

“Right this way, Miss.” he said while he walked her to the back Exit of the Coffee Shop.

They walked few steps in silence until she heard the click of a door and felt the cold breeze of the afternoon on her skin. Felicity took a tentative step out and thanked the young man, her voice short above a whisper.  
“Anything else I can do for you? Do you want me to call you a cab? You could wait in our staff lounge as well, no problem.” he offered and for the first time in the last 15 minutes, Felicity was able to give a small, but honest smile.

“No it’s fine, really. Thank you. But there could be someone coming in asking for the back exit. He’ll pick me up. Could you lead him the way, maybe?”

“Of course!” the man smiled at her. “Are you really okay, Miss?” he asked her with an honest, concerned voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit shaken up right now. Rough day.” she smiled at him again. “You really shouldn’t let your customers wait too long. I’m sure my pick-up person will arrive, soon.” Felicity tried to sound more firm than she felt but she wasn’t sure if he’d bought it.

The young man just nodded and after a hesitant “Okay then. Bye.” Felicity could hear the door click shut again and left a breath she didn’t know she was holding all the time. Tears started streaming down her face again and this time she didn’t try to fight them. She sank to the ground, hitting her knees on the wet pavement and just sobbed and cried, alone in the back alley between the dumpsters of her favorite coffee shop.

 

She didn’t know how long she sat there, crying. Her legs have gone dead under her on the cold wet pavement, knees started to hurt, her skirt was rumpled and wetted from the ground and her eyes started to burn when she heard the door behind her open again.  
“Oh my god, Felicity!” Barry screamed when he saw her crouched on the ground. He immediately ran over, kneeled down next to her and picked her up in is arms.   
Felicity never moved a muscle; she was too exhausted and tired to do anything, so she let him carry her to his car without a word. Once he tucked her into his passenger seat safely and made it to the car as well, he turned to face her.

“Felicity, what happened? Talk to me.” Barry tried to sound as gentle as he could, even though he felt on edge. He had never seen her like that before and it worried him a lot.

When Felicity just shook her head and looked down into her lap, Barry gave it another try.  
“Do you want me to take you to Oliver’s place?”

Felicity frantically started shaking her head but never looked up. “No, please… could you… can I come to your place for a while? Only for one night or two. I don’t know where else to go.” she whispered and started to cry again when her voice broke once more.

“Of course, Fee. You can stay as long as you want. But you need to tell me what happened, okay?”

“I’m so tired.” she whispered through tears and it literally broke Barry’s heart to see his cousin like this. He always knew Felicity as the bubbly, sparkly, young woman that nothing could tackle to the ground, not even an accident and a blindness coming from it. But this? This wasn’t the Felicity he knew and liked so much. This was an entirely different person. And he was sure to find out what caused all this. But for the moment, he just wanted to get her home, cook her some food and then let her sleep for as long as she wanted to.

Barry started the engine and drove them home in silence. Felicity never mover her head, never looked to him or out of the window. She just let her head hang down, sunshades facing her lap. Her knees were bloody and reddened from the pavement she fell onto, her skirt was dirty and completely wetted but Felicity didn’t care for any of that

When they pulled up at the parking garage of Barry’s building, the radio station announced the 3pm news and Felicity’s head shot up. She started fumbling for the phone in her bag before she looked up at Barry and waited for him to park the car.  
“Could you send Oliver a quick text, please?” she asked him with a face completely empty of any expression, holding her phone out to him.

“Just text him that something had come up and I need to cancel the coffee date."

When Barry stared at the phone for several long seconds but didn’t pick it up, Felicity started tearing up again. “Please, Barry.” she begged.

With a sigh, Barry grabbed the phone from her hand. “Fine, but you tell me what happened!” he warned her but Felicity didn’t reply. Barry sent a text message to Oliver and handed the phone back to her and Felicity was quick to throw it into her bag again. They got out of the car and Barry ran over to her side immediately to lend her a hand.

 

As soon as they entered the Apartment, Barry led her to his couch so she could sit. He brought her a cup of water and went to the bathroom to gather the first aid kit. When he returned after a few minutes with a warm wash cloth and the first aid kit in hand, he realized Felicity hadn’t moved a muscle since she sat down, the glass of water still in hand like he gave it to her and Barry’s heart broke a little more for her at the sight.

He kneeled down in front of her and very carefully started cleaning up the wounds on her knees. “This might hurt a bit” he warned her before he applied the antiseptic, but Felicity didn’t flinch. She just stared ahead, eyes firmly hidden behind her black sunglasses, streams of dried and fresh tears making their way over her cheeks.

 

Once Barry had her all cleaned up, he went to the bedroom to grab a pair of sweatpants and a Hoodie and headed back to the living room.  
“Here,” he put the fresh clothes into her lap, “you really need to get out of your wet clothes or you’ll be sick in the morning. Come on, I’ll show you the bathroom.” he gently pulled on her arm and Felicity got up without resistance, moving her numb body through the Apartment. “Do you want to take a bath? I don’t have any fancy flowery scents, though.” he smiled at her when she sat down on the toilet lid.

“No, I’m fine.” Felicity replied with a quiet voice. It was the first thing Barry heard her say since they left the car.

“No, you certainly are not.” he replied in a concerned tone and Felicity immediately dropped her head again.  
“Why don’t you change and freshen up a little I make us some sandwiches?” he offered and Felicity didn’t protest. 

Despite the Cronut that Oliver brought her in the morning and two bites of the Donut at the Coffee Shop she hadn’t eaten anything the entire day. And even though her stomach felt like it had been knotted and twisted by an evil force, she had to admit she was hungry. When she just nodded, Barry went to close the door. “Just knock on the doorframe when you’re ready and I’ll guide you back to the living room.” he smiled at her before he closed the door and headed for the kitchen.

Felicity didn’t know how long she sat in the bathroom, unmoving. The distant, beeping sound of the microwave brought her back to the present. She got up and feeled her way around the room, trying to get a view of everything. When she grabbed the sink, she immediately leaned forward, removed her sunshades and splashed cold water into her face. After she got ahold of a towel and dried herself off, she pulled her hair in a ponytail and changed into the clothes Barry gave her. Her knees were hurting and her hands and feet were freezing and she was thankful for the warm Hoodie that Barry had given her. When she feeled her way to the door handle and opened it, she peeked her head out into the hallway.

“Barry?” she whispered while making a tentative step out of the bathroom, keeping one hand close to the wall beside her. Barry rushed over to her side as soon as he spotted her and guided her back to the couch. When she sat down she could feel a warm, fluffy blanket surrounding her and for a second she wondered where that came from. When Barry returned from the kitchen and placed a plate with amazing smelling food on the table, Felicity looked up at him. It was the first time she actually lifted her head since Barry picked her up from that alley.

“Thank you,” she whispered and tucked her feet under herself, crouching into a corner of his couch, hissing at the pain that radiated from her knees. Barry got up and wrapped the blanket over her and she gave him a tight smile.

“Tuna or Chicken?” he offered and Felicity gladly took the Chicken sandwich from him.  
They ate in silence and Felicity could hear raindrops crackling against the windows of his living room. She wondered when it had started to rain.

 

When Barry brought the plate back to the kitchen and poured them both a cup of coffee, Felicity’s phone, hidden in the bag sitting on the table in front of her, suddenly started ringing. Deep in thoughts while listening to the sound of raindrops splattering onto the living room windows, the sound of her phone made her jump and look to where Barry must have dropped her bag. She didn’t dare to pick up the phone, so she just looked away and ignored the ringing. When Barry returned from the kitchen and placed two mugs on the table, he pulled the phone out of her bag and took a quick glance at the caller ID.  
“He’s calling for the 6th time now, Felicity.”

Felicity looked up at Barry and couldn’t stop the tears that started to fall again. Just when she thought she ran out of tears, her body proved her wrong.  
Barry slid over to her side of the couch and slowly took her hand in his.  
“Fee, what happened?” he asked in a calm, quiet voice while he gently rubbed her hand with his thumbs.

After a few deep breaths, Felicity wiped the tears from her cheeks and spoke up again, her voice broken and cracking with every word.  
“Oliver…. uhm… he,” she had to clear her throat, trying to find the strength to speak out loud what she just found out, “he cheated on me.”

 

Barry looked at her in shock, his thumbs stopped the calming movements on her palm.  
“What?” he practically yelled, immediately regretting his loud voice when Felicity flinched next to him. “Did he tell you?”

Felicity just shook her head and tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.  
“I – I overheard a conversation in the Coffee Shop. Some women were talking about it.”

Barry looked at her confused, the shock slowly dissipating from his face. “Fee, don’t you think this wasn’t just some trash talking girls? I’m sure Oliver has heard these kinds of stories hundreds of times already.”

“She knew things about him, Barry!” Felicity cried through fresh tears. “Things she couldn’t know if she wouldn’t have been with him!”

“Maybe it was someone who he dated in the past? I mean, before you, of course.” Barry tried to calm her nerves. At this point he was still almost sure Felicity was just over-reacting, but he decided to keep that to himself. She was shaken up enough already, but Felicity just shook her head.

“No, she talked about things she couldn’t know about him. Not if she hadn’t been with him in the last weeks.”

“What, you mean like a fresh tattoo that he got or a Piercing in an inappropriate place?” Barry laughed but Felicity didn’t move.

“A scar. She knew about a scar on his lower hip that he got right after he returned from Marbella. When we were already dating, Barry!” she started to cry again and Barry found himself in a very uncomfortable position. He wanted to help his cousin, especially after seeing her in such a broken condition. He just didn’t know how.

Confused and unable to give a helpful reply to that, Barry gently patted her back. “You need to sleep some hours. And then you’ll tell me everything you’ve heard this woman say. And then we’ll figure out what to do next, okay?”

Felicity just nodded and Barry got up from the couch, pulling her up into his arms.  
“Come on, let’s get you to bed. I know for a fact that the couch is terribly uncomfortable and I need to work on some Cases anyway, so you can sleep in the bed.” he told her when he walked them to his bedroom, gently placing her down onto the soft mattress. When he tucked her under the blanket, he placed a bottle of water on his nightstand and took the glasses off her nose.

“I’ll leave the bedroom door open, if you need anything, just call me, okay?” Felicity nodded and Barry gently rubbed her shoulder before he made his way out of the bedroom.

 

He sat on the couch for 15 minutes, listening to the sobs from the bedroom become quieter and quieter until they ended completely and it became silent in the room behind him.

He didn’t know Oliver well; he just met him 2 times since Felicity started dating him, but the way Oliver behaved around Felicity made Barry believe that he wasn’t trying to fool her around. Could Oliver really do something like this? His playboy past surely proved that he could, but Oliver made it very clear to Barry that he only had good intentions when it came to Felicity, after Barry openly voiced his concerns about him being in a relationship with his cousin after what he read about Oliver in the media. 

Felicity on the other hand was never one to judge too quickly, especially over things people said about others. She had heard stories about Cooper, too, when they just started dating and they all turned out to be rumors that were far from the truth. She knew better than to believe any 3rd person stuff, which was why Barry was so concerned about her right now. If it were just rumors like she heard so often before, why was she in such an emotional state right now?

When he checked his watch, Barry realized he sat on the couch, staring out of the window, thinking about Felicity, for almost an hour. He got up and walked down the hallway to peek into the bedroom. Felicity was fast asleep. She probably was so exhausted from the events that she passed out immediately. Barry tip toed to his closet, grabbed a pair of sweatpants and silently left the bedroom again, closing the door behind him so he wouldn’t wake her up while working on his files.

 

When he left the bathroom and plopped on the couch again with a fresh pot of coffee, Felicity’s phone started ringing again in her bag. Barry pulled it out – Oliver was calling again, probably for the 10th time today.  
Barry contemplated for a moment on what to do, when he suddenly accepted the call and put the phone to his ear.

“Felicity? Where are you? I’m worried as hell!” a concerned voice immediately answered the phone.

“It’s Barry.” he just replied and Barry could hear Oliver startle for a moment.

“Why do you have Felicity’s phone? Did something happen to her? Where is she? We were supposed to meet 4 hours ago and I haven’t been able to reach her…” Oliver asked, clearly concerned about her, his voice sounding alarmed and on edge. Barry looked down the hallway to make out any sound that might come from the bedroom when he got up from the couch and moved into his office, shutting the door behind him.

“Felicity is fine. I’m going to ask you one question, and I need you to answer me honestly, Oliver,” Barry warned him with a calm but stern voice.

 

“Did you cheat on Felicity?”

Silence.

All Barry could hear was Oliver inhaling deeply before he sank back onto a soft object, probably his couch.  
“I see,” was all Barry replied to that.  
“Oliver, please don’t call Felicity any more or I need to shut off her phone. She will talk to you when she’s ready but don’t call all the time. I am taking care of her for now. She will call you when she wants to speak.”

Silence again.

“I need to talk to her. Please hand her the phone, I need to explain…” Oliver pleaded in a quiet voice.

“I’m sorry I can’t do that Oliver, and I would like you to not tell her that we talked, either. I’m just doing this to let you know that Felicity is fine – as fine as she can be given the circumstances. She would have never agreed to let me call you, so do yourself a favor and don’t tell her that we talked. Right now, I’m giving you a chance to make this up to her. But that’s all I’m going to do. Bye, Oliver.” Barry said before he ended the call and walked out into the living room again, letting out a long breath.

 

Oliver stared at his phone for several long minutes, unable to move. His face went pale and he couldn’t form a complete thought in his mind. Felicity knew. How did she found out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note to some comments that have been made about the last Chapter:
> 
> This Story isn’t just fluffy, romantic, never ending love. That would be boring and is not what I have in mind for this Story. To people saying Oliver was acting out of Character I can only say, this is absolutely not the case.  
> Felicity helped him change, helped him become a better man than he had been in his past. But for every two steps forward, there usually is one step back. And this is what my Story is about.  
> But rest assured, I won’t end this Story with our favorite couple being separated from each other. I’m currently writing at Chapter 22, so there’s still a LOT happening in this Story! :)  
> To others who still decide not to follow this Story any more because of the turns our favorite couple have taken; it was a lovely ride, thanks for following me so far.


	19. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually planned to wait a few more days before I posted this Chapter, but since my last Chapter caused such a shitstorm (literally! :D ) I decided to post this one earlier than planned. A few things will be cleared up.  
> I actually had to make this a 2-part Chapter, so if you want to read the whole thing, I suggest you wait 2 more days until the second part will be uploaded. :)

A few hours after Barry ended the call with Oliver, he could hear sobs and faint cries coming from the bedroom. He immediately put his files aside and made his way to the bedroom to check on his cousin.

Felicity sat upright in bed, her back leaning against the headboard, knees pulled to her chest, crying silently.  
“Hey,” Barry tentatively spoke up and carefully took a seat on the edge of the mattress. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nightmare,” was all Felicity replied. “And I have a headache from all the crying.”

Barry silently got up from bed and pulled out a little orange box of pills. He carefully took her hand, placed two pills in her palm and handed her the bottle of water that rested next to her sunglasses. Felicity furrowed her brows and looked up at him. “I know that ‘unable to sleep because of a headache’ – problem pretty well, you know.” he just smiled at her. “Take these, and you’ll sleep like a baby for several hours.”

Felicity looked down at her palm and thought about it for a moment. No matter how the next day might go, she needed to have a clear head. And that required at least a good amount of sleep. An un-rested mind didn’t work properly, that Felicity knew all too well. So she downed the two pills, took a gulp of water and went back to bed.

 

When she woke up several hours later, the smell of coffee and pancakes filled his Apartment. She was still in Barry’s clothes and due to the fact that she didn’t have anything else with her, she decided to keep them on for a while. When she reached the doorframe to the hallway, she slowly opened the door and took a step out.

“Oh, see who’s awake!” Barry suddenly spoke up and walked over to her. “Bathroom or breakfast?”

“Bathroom please. I need to make room for that coffee first.” She casually replied and Barry had to chuckle at that. It was the first funny thing he heard from her since he picked her up from the alleyway the day before.

 

15 minutes later they sat at the kitchen bar and Felicity held a coffee mug in her hands. A weird silence hang above them. Felicity could feel Barry’s tension and uncertainty on how to break the topic.  
“Did you sleep well?” he suddenly spoke up.

“Your pills certainly helped with that.” she replied with a slight smile.

“So… what do you want to do today? I don’t have anything planned for today. We could hang out and watch a DVD, or – “

“Can you take me to Oliver’s Apartment later?” she cut him off and Barry gave her a surprised look.

“Do you want to talk to him about it?”

After a moment of hesitation, Felicity shook her head no. “I want to pick up my stuff, but I can’t do that alone.” she said, the sadness and broken face from the day before fully returned on her facial expression.

“Fee, I’m not taking any sides, but don’t you think that this is a bit precipitous? Talk to him first, I’m sure he’s worried where you have been all night. I mean, I would be worried as hell if my girlfriend texted me she needed to cancel our Date and then just vanishes from the earth…” he rambled on but Felicity’s face didn’t show any emotion besides the sadness covering it the entire time.

“I will talk to him, but I can’t do that in person, and certainly not now. I know he’s away for Training from 3 to 4pm, could you take me there then and help me pack?” she asked him and could feel Barry hesitate. “Barry please, I have no idea who else to ask for help. And all my belongings are at his Loft… please Barry.” she begged and Barry couldn’t stand the hurt and brokenness coming from her voice any longer.

“Okay. But you can’t avoid him forever, you know that, right?” he asked her and Felicity knew he had a point. But for the moment she just wanted to get her stuff out there and shut out any thoughts about a conversation with Oliver for as long as she could. Thinking about him instantly made her cry, and ever since she woke up that morning, she fought the tears.

 

Barry still had to work on some cases and Felicity offered her help. They both knew she wouldn’t be of much help but talking about Police cases may help her to keep her mind off Oliver, so he offered her a seat at the table and started explaining what he did.  
They worked together for almost 2 hours when suddenly Felicity’s phone started ringing. She flinched at the sound and gave Barry a helpless look.

“Who’s calling?” she asked him and Barry took a quick look on the phone.

“Laurel.”

Felicity let out a sigh and took a deep breath through the nose before she picked up the phone. With a fake smile plastered on the face (her mother always told her that smiling people sounded happier on the phone, even if they just pretended), she accepted the call.  
“Hey, Laurel. What’s up?”

“You tell me girl!” Laurel just replied and Felicity was taken aback for a moment. Did Oliver tell them already? Well it would make sense, since Tommy and he are best friends.

“Uhm?” was the only thing she could respond though.

“The wine tasting? We were supposed to meet 45 minutes ago, young Lady!” Laurel laughed with a slight accusing tone.

Frack. She didn’t think about that after everything happened so quickly yesterday.  
“Oh no, I completely forgot. I’m so sorry Laurel.” Felicity apologized.

“Ahh it’s okay. I dropped off 5 bottles of the ones Tommy and I picked out at Ollie’s place since you weren’t there. Ollie looked like someone kicked his Puppy, by the way. Everything alright with you two?” she asked and Felicity could hear the honest concern in her friend’s voice.

“Yeah uhm… I had to leave for a family matter. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you, Laurel. It just all happened so fast yesterday.”  
Felicity couldn’t tell her anything else. She could just barely tell Barry what happened and Laurel and Tommy were Oliver’s friends first and foremost. It wasn’t her story to tell, at least not now. So she decided to lie to Laurel.

“Oh, nothing too bad I hope? I asked Ollie about you this morning but he didn’t tell me anything at all except that you weren’t there.”

Felicity barely kept herself together. She was on the verge of tears the more Laurel told her about Oliver but she couldn’t start crying over the phone. So she did the only thing that came to her mind that moment, she cut off her friend.  
“Yeah everything’s fine, they just needed me around. Look Laurel, I really need to go. Talk to you soon?”

Laurel hesitated for a moment. “Uh, sure. Let me know which wine you and Ollie like best! Bye!” she added and ended the call.

 

As soon as Felicity put the phone down, tears started streaming down her face again. Barry handed her a tissue and helped her to the couch. They sat there in silence and Barry never let his eyes leave his cousin while tears silently ran down her cheeks and gathered in a small pool of drops on her chin before they fell into the tissue that she held crumpled in her hands.

 

Suddenly a knock made them both flinch and Felicity shot Barry a very nervous and surprised look. Barry quickly got up from the couch and went to open the door while Felicity crouched deeper into the cushions, trying to hide herself as good as possible. Barry didn’t tell her he’d be expecting visitors, especially not around 11am on a Saturday, and she definitely wasn’t in a presentable state to anyone. Thinking about that, she made a mental note to use the shower later.

Felicity could hear silent talking and mumbling coming from the door. Just before the door closed, she heard Barry say a warm _‘Thank you’_.  
When he arrived back to the couch and placed a bag in her lap, Felicity furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“Iris dropped off some clothes since your dress is ruined and you can’t go out in my sleep pants. And since you said you wanted to take your clothes from Oliver, I sent her a quick text and asked her for an emergency clothing package.” Barry told her with a smile in his tone and Felicity let her head fall down into her lap again. “I told her you guys are pretty much the same size and that she just should pick out some casual clothes. I hope that’s okay?”

“Thank you Barry.” Felicity smiled at him and slowly opened the bag to inspect the clothes Iris gave her.

 

After she took a long hot shower and used the least masculine smelling shampoo she could find, Felicity opted for a Jeans and a light sweater with wide neckline from Iris’ stash of clothes. Since Barry didn’t own a hairdryer, she let her hair dry naturally and pulled the soft curls into a ponytail.  
Even if she didn’t feel confident and self-secure at all at that moment, she would at least make sure she looked the way. Her sunglasses safely put in place, Felicity emerged from the bathroom and found the way to the kitchen herself without knocking anything over or kicking her toes against anything.

Barry patted her shoulder in assurance. “Ready?” he asked her when he took the car keys from the kitchen counter.

Felicity just nodded and gave him a forced smile before she stepped into her ballet flats and grabbed her bag that Barry handed her.

 

They made their way to the other side of the City in silence, the only sound coming from the radio, announcing the 3pm News. Felicity nervously played with the keys to Oliver’s Apartment while Oliver steered the car to a parking spot right in front of the building.

When they entered the building, Felicity asked Barry to lead them to the private elevators. They arrived at the top level within seconds and Felicity walked them to the large glass door that entered Oliver’s Loft.  
When she opened the door and Barry took a few steps inside, he let out a low whistle.  
“Now THAT’S an impressive Apartment.” Barry spoke up when they walked through the living room.

“I don’t know,” Felicity told him with a sad smile, “I have never seen it.”  
Realizing how much that said about her relationship with Oliver, Felicity let her head fall down. Everyone around her knew Oliver better than herself, it seemed. With that, Felicity turned around and silently walked up the stairs into the bedroom. Barry followed her upstairs and helped her find her briefcases.

 

They packed in silence and Barry stuffed everything into the bags that Felicity put on the mattress. It took them almost half an hour to gather all her clothes from the closet and her toiletries and Felicity was almost sure that she must have forgotten a ton of things. But since Barry already had a hard time fitting the last dresses into her bag, Felicity decided to leave the rest behind for the moment.

Barry had set both bags next to the front door and waited for Felicity to follow him when she suddenly stopped at the kitchen counter and didn’t move for a few moments. Barry watched her closely while she seemed to be deep in thoughts. When he was about to ask her if everything was alright, he saw her grabbing her front door key, rolling it between her finger once, twice – until she put it on the counter with a broken expression on her face.

“Felicity, are you sure this – “ Barry stepped in but Felicity just cut him off with a raised hand when she rushed past him to the front door. She picked up one bag and waited for Barry to take the other.

Barry was about to stop her and make her re-think her decision when he saw Felicity’s trembling lip and shaking hands. He knew she was barely holding it together, so he sighed and took the other bag before her followed her outside.  
“Are you really sure?” he asked her one last time and Felicity just nodded sadly. He pulled the door closed and followed her to the elevator.

The ride down to the main level Felicity didn’t try to fight her tears any more. She let her head fall down while she let sink in the fact that she was about to leave Oliver’s Apartment for the last time.  
She couldn’t wait for this day to be over so she could hide in a dark corner and shut out the entire world.

 

They arrived outside of the building and Barry took her arm while they both carried one of her bags to his Truck. Barry threw both bags onto the back of his truck and turned his attention to Felicity again. He gently wiped her tears with his thumbs and pulled her into a warm hug. It was the first hug she gladly accepted since everything went down the shit hole.

“Felicity!” a voice suddenly called from a distance and Felicity stopped dead in her tracks. 

“No,” she whispered to herself and gave Barry a panicked look. He loosened his grip on her and took a step back. “Talk to him, Felicity, he deserves to be heard and you deserve to hear his explanation. I’ll give you two a minute. If it gets too much, I’ll take you home.” he whispered to her and turned to move around the truck when Oliver suddenly arrived by their side.

Barry sent him an apologetic smile and a short nod after taking in Oliver’s appearance. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked absolutely miserable and clearly hadn’t slept the last night.

 

Felicity’s hands started to shake when she could feel Oliver standing in front of her and she had to ball them to fists to control the shaking at least a tiny bit.  
“Felicity,” he started, unsure what to say to her.

He was panting slightly and the smell of his cologne surrounded her. She couldn’t hide the tears any more – and she was tired of trying.  
“I know…” was all she could whisper when more tears found their way under her glasses and over her cheeks. She could hear him inhale deeply and for a moment she contemplated of just calling for Barry and running away. But she knew Oliver – or at least she thought so – and she knew he would follow her to Barry’s Apartment to try and talk to her. So she decided to deal with it sooner rather than later.

“Felicity, I have no idea what you heard,…” he whispered with a broken voice and Felicity just nodded ironically. “Please… let us go upstairs and I’ll explain.” he begged and Felicity just shook her head.

“I… I can’t go upstairs again, I’m sorry.” she told him with a raspy voice and after Oliver gave her a confused look, he looked behind her and saw two of her briefcases sitting on the back of Barry’s truck.

Panic kicking in, he took a step forward and grabbed her hand. “Felicity, no… please!”  
Felicity froze and tried pulling back as soon as she felt his warm palms grabbing her hand, but Oliver didn’t let go. He held onto her hand like he was sure she would run away as soon as he let her go – which she actually considered at that moment.

When he pulled on her hand and started walking her forward a few steps, Felicity followed him very hesitantly. When she was about to stop him and ask what he was doing, he spoke up again. “Sit, please.”  
She took her hand out of his hold and feeled around next to her until she grabbed the handle of a metal bench. She sat down slowly and could feel Oliver taking a seat right next to her, his leg brushing hers.

After he sat down, it became silent for several long minutes. Felicity didn’t know what to do so she just stared ahead, keeping her hands folded in her lap, always hoping Barry wouldn’t leave her behind. After she heard Oliver take a deep breath, he cleared his throat and started speaking.  
“This morning when you asked me if everything was alright…… I… I wasn’t honest with you.” he rubbed his forehead with sweaty, shaking hands and Felicity inhaled deeply, fearing about what Oliver might say next, even if she knew the answer already.  
“I wasn’t at the Gala the entire time. I… I got in a huge fight with my father, I drank too much and I immediately passed out in the Cab when I was about to leave. And when I woke up in the middle of the night, I was in that Hotel room, with that woman…” he half whispered with a broken voice and Felicity didn’t hold back the tears.  
“But nothing happened, you have to believe me Felicity! I swear to god, nothing happened!”  
Felicity’s hands started shaking and she tried to bury them deeper into her lap to still her movements. She hated that her body reacted so on its own and that she didn’t have any control over it.

Everything around her came to a halt. She couldn’t hear the birds chirping around them anymore, or the cars passing on the street behind them. She was sure didn’t even breathed. She just sat there on the bench, with Oliver, listening to his words while her world slowly fell apart.  
"Felicity please say something!” he begged.

"What do you want me to say, Oliver?" she whispered with the last strength in her body.

"Please tell me you believe me. Please tell me you’re not believing what you heard. I would never – **never** do this to you." his voice broke at his declaration to her.

“Why did you never tell me that Isabel is pregnant?” she asked him with a straight face, fighting hard to keep her emotions in check, never turning her face to him. Even if she couldn’t see him, she couldn’t stand to feel his eyes on her.

Oliver looked at her, the shock of what he just heard stilling all his muscles. When he tried to grab Felicity’s hand, she quickly pulled it away.  
“Don’t… please.” she barely whispered, clearly not able to being touched by him at that moment.

“Felicity you need to believe me, this Baby isn’t mine! We weren’t even sleeping together any more the last 3 months in our relationship. Even Coach Wilson and Diggle know, Isabel told them. This Baby isn’t mine, Felicity, you have to believe that, please!” he begged, trying to pull her hand out of her lap into his once again, but Felicity didn’t move. She just sat there, nodding into her lap at his words, barely hearing what Oliver just told her while she stared into the blackness that surrounded her every day, suddenly becoming even darker than before.

“Felicity, please talk to me…. Say something, anything! It's eerie when you don't talk!"

It took her long seconds to gather a clear thought in her head.  
"How do you know nothing happened? I mean... You said you can't remember how you got there; maybe you can't remember that part as well..." she asked him, never looking up from her lap.

"I was completely dressed and woke up on the couch! As soon as I woke up, I grabbed my jacket and left!" Oliver immediately replied, part of him shocked that Felicity didn’t seem to believe him.

"Yeah but do you know for sure nothing happened?"

"I... " Oliver was at a loss for words. 

Felicity took a deep breath, wiping the tears from the tip of her nose with her palm.  
"I can't live with a 'maybe' hanging between us, Oliver. Maybe you slept with that woman, maybe you didn't. Maybe she's telling the truth, maybe she's just making up a story. I can't do that, Oliver. Not after everything that happened to my in the past. I can't live with our relationship being a 'maybe this is perfect, but we can't know for sure'..." she told him and had to bite her lip so it wouldn’t start trembling.

Oliver looked at her with utter shock and despair.  
“Please don’t let such a lie destroy what we have, Felicity, please!” Oliver begged, trying to convince her to believe him.

After a long moment of silence, which felt like hours to Oliver, Felicity spoke again, her voice so vulnerable and thin like he’d never heard her before.  
"For once in my life, I'm at a loss of clear thoughts, Oliver. Truth is, being with you was the only time I have ever been truly happy. After everything that happened in my life... –“ her voice broke and she had to take a deep breath to keep her emotions in check before she could continue speaking slowly.  
“But as much as we tried…. let’s face it Oliver, we're probably too different to make it work. Your life is all ostentatious, full of Paparazzi, full of lies and being out in the public all the time. That’s not me, Oliver. I can’t live like that, I hate being in dragged into the Media or being the center of attention when it comes to stuff they say about my relationship. I want a normal life, away from all of that. Maybe this showed us that we won’t be able to have a relationship like that.” Felicity half whispered, her voice on the verge of breaking.

“What? No! No, Felicity. You know that’s not true! Please don’t let this one mistake ruin everything between us, please, Felicity! I love you!” Oliver begged and pleaded with her but she didn’t show any emotion towards him. Oliver couldn’t say anything else, think anything else. He just stared at her, trying to understand what Felicity was telling him.

“Sorry, I can't...” she sobbed, quickly got up from the bench and made a few tentative steps forward before she called for Barry.  
He quickly got out of the car, jogged over, wordlessly lend Felicity a hand and helped her back to his Truck to take her home.  
Oliver sat helplessly on the couch, watching Barry and Felicity leave. She didn't even stop, didn't turn around, she just followed Barry to his car and silently got inside. It broke Oliver's heart seeing her leave like this.

 

Felicity didn’t say a word during the ride back to Barry’s Apartment. She didn't tell him what Oliver said to her nor did she talk about any other topic. She just stared ahead, her sunglasses folded in her lap while she wiped her cheeks and eyes with a tissue.  
As soon as they arrived and Barry led her to the couch, she sat down and just stared ahead for several long minutes. When Barry brought up her bags and set them next to the couch, he took a seat next to Felicity, making sure to give her enough space.

“Fee, -“

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Felicity immediately cut him off and wiped her tears with the sleeve of Iris’ sweater.

“Yeah but you have to at some point, you know that, right? And even if it’s not with me, then at least with Oliver. I highly doubt you guys could clear everything up when you talked in front of his Home, considering the faces both of you guys made when we left.” he told her and Felicity couldn’t stand it any longer. She needed to get away from Barry, needed to be alone, at least for a moment.  
She got up from the couch and tried to find her way into the hallway. She almost tripped over one of her bags and knocked her toes against several pieces of furniture but when she got ahold of a doorframe and pulled the handle, she quickly got inside, not caring which room she just entered. All that mattered at that moment was getting away from Barry and being alone for a moment.  
When her hands grabbed a cold, marble counter Felicity realized she got into the bathroom.

 

Felicity had no idea how long she sat on the edge of the bathtub, feeling sobs wrack her body.  
How many times had she told Oliver she loved him? How many times had he done the same for her? Had he ever meant it, or was it all one big lie? And if he meant it, why wasn’t he honest with her that morning and told her what happened? Especially after she openly asked him if anything was wrong. Her head started spinning at all the thoughts that raced through her mind.

She heard footsteps coming down the hallway that stopped at the door of the bathroom in front of her.  
“Go away, Barry.” Felicity sobbed. “I told you, there’s nothing – nothing to talk about.”

“Felicity, it’s me.”

Felicity’s eyes shot up to the door, taking in the voice that she knew so well. After a few seconds the bathroom door opened and she heard tentative footsteps nearing her. Felicity burst into tears again and let her eyes fall back down to her lap, which was all the invitation Caitlin needed to come in and pull her into her arms.  
“Hey, shh, it’s okay, Fee.” Caitlin comforted, rubbing her back as she sobbed onto the front of her shirt. 

Felicity cried for a few minutes before she pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she said tearfully. “I think I got snot on your shirt.”

Caitlin chuckled. “It’s fine,” she told her, taking a seat next to her on the edge of the bathtub.

“What are you doing here?” Felicity asked her after she got her tears under control again.

“Barry called me early this morning. I immediately came here.” she squeezed Felicity’s shoulder in assurance. “Now what happened? What did Oliver do?”

Felicity felt as though she’d burst into tears again, but Caitlin’s hand still held hers and she gave it a reassuring squeeze. “He… h-he…” Felicity tried to choke out, but had to stop to sniffle loudly.

Caitlin’s face took on a dangerous expression. “Fee, if he physically hurt you or what, I swear to god…!”

“No, no,” Felicity assured her, sniffling as she shook her head. “He didn’t touch me.” she laughed humorlessly at the irony of that statement.

“What did he do, Fee?” Caitlin asked softly, squeezing her hand.

“He, uh, I don’t know, honestly…” Felicity said thickly, between sniffles.

Caitlin gave her a confused look, clearly not able to follow the conversation.  
“You’re not making any sense, Fee…”

Felicity took a deep breath and wiped her nose with a tissue.  
“Yesterday I heard some women talking about Oliver at a Coffee Shop. They… one of them said she slept with Oliver the night before.”

Caitlin looked shocked and disbelieving for a split second before her face melted into a mask of rage. “He did _what_? Did he cheat on you??” she half-yelled. Felicity cringed and Caitlin’s voice immediately softened. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“I felt like shit when I heard it… I freaked out and Barry took me here. And hour ago I went to grab my stuff from Oliver’s place when he suddenly showed up. We talked, and he told me nothing happened. He said he passed out and when he woke up he was in this Hotel room with this woman.”

Caitlin just snorted annoyed.  
“Yeah, charming way trying to tell someone you didn’t cheat… _‘Oh hey uhm… it kind of looks like I cheated on you but I only passed out and when I woke up I was in that room with that woman but hey, nothing happened – I guess.’_ ” Caitlin said with a fake voice, rolling her eyes at the end.

“It feels like it’s my own fault.” Felicity confessed, face covered in tears again. She was almost surprised by how easily she was speaking about this - but then, Caitlin had always been her best friend and go to person when it came to such talks. She was her best friend. “I didn’t accompany him to the Gala Event even though he asked me to, multiple times. I was just scared to be seen out there, as his official girlfriend, with all the Media presence making fun of me or my blindness, digging up old shit about my past, all that humiliating stuff. I was just scared, Cait… But instead of being honest with him I told him I couldn’t see the Art there anyway and so he went alone and – “

“Stop,” Caitlin interrupted her with a firm tone, grasping her hand tightly with both of her own. “You’ve done nothing to deserve being treated like that, so don’t even think going down there!” she warned her.  
“You are an amazing person Fee, and instead of spending that night in a strange Hotel Room, no matter what may have or have not happened there, Oliver should have spent that time worshipping the ground you walk on and thinking himself the luckiest guy on Earth.” Caitlin took a deep breath to calm her anger.

“What if Oliver said the truth?” Felicity suddenly spoke up. “What if that woman really told a lie and I just overreacted? What if I ruined our relationship just because of my insecurities?”  
Tears started to stream down her face again and Caitlin was quick to pull a tissue from the box on the counter and wipe Felicity’s cheeks with it.

“I can't tell you what to think, honey. You have to trust your gut in that. And you have to figure out if you trust Oliver enough to believe in what he said. But for now you really need to calm down and rest a bit. You’ll have a headache in a few hours if you keep worrying and crying like that.” Caitlin spoke with a soft voice and pulled Felicity into a hug.

“I just want to go home.” Felicity whispered while she relaxed her head on Caitlin’s shoulder. “I can’t stay here with everything that happened. I need some distance and clear my head.”

“Are you sure? Because I have a very comfortable couch and my car is parked downstairs.” Caitlin smiled at her and Felicity just nodded after she wiped her tears with another tissue.

 

Felicity sat in the passenger seat and for more than 10 minutes complete silence filled the car while Caitlin steered it out of Starling City and back home to the safe surroundings of Los Angeles. Felicity didn’t even protest coming home with her. She liked staying with Barry, but knowing she would have to leave the Apartment at some point in the future, she was too scared to run into Oliver on the street. So she immediately agreed when Caitlin told her she’d take her home.

When Caitlin saw a tear trailing down Felicity’s cheek, she gently took her hand and squeezed it. Felicity let her head fall down, more tears pricking, when she spoke up for the first time since they left Barry’s apartment.  
I’m so tired, Caitlin” she cried silently, her voice breaking.

“I know, honey, I know… We’ll be back home soon.” she assured her.  
Every time Caitlin had to stop at a red light or Stop sign, she peeked over to Felicity, making sure she was still with her and not completely falling apart.

 

Seeing Felicity like that, even after her breakup with Cooper she wasn’t that hurt – that broken, worried Caitlin a lot. This went deeper, way deeper than what happened with her ex-fiancée almost a year ago and it was obvious how much Felicity loved Oliver. Seeing her best friend so broken was a new one for Caitlin after all these years of close friendship – and she felt deeply sorry for Felicity.

She caught herself several times, thinking about why Oliver could have done this and what could be the reason behind all that. Sure, she didn’t like him when they first met and they probably would never be on best friend terms, but she had to admit that Felicity was thoroughly happy and even Oliver seemed to be crazy in love with her – something that Caitlin wasn’t so sure of in the beginning.

“Are you having doubts about leaving Starling City?” Caitlin suddenly spoke up and interrupted the silence in the car, jerking Felicity out of her thoughts.

“I have doubts about everything, and I feel like I’m going insane. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing leaving, I don’t know if I can believe Oliver, I don’t know if I should believe what that woman said – but then again, if I do believe that woman, what kind of trust am I showing to the man I was in a relationship with for more than 5 months? I just… my head hurts so much.” Felicity sobbed and Caitlin squeezed her hand in assurance, unable to tell any words of support to her friend at what she just said.

 

They arrived in Los Angeles late in the evening and when Caitlin parked the car in front of her building, Felicity was fast asleep. She silently got out of the car and brought the bags up into her Apartment before she gently woke up her friend and helped her upstairs.

Felicity wordlessly followed Caitlin into the Apartment but when Caitlin wanted to lead her to the guest room, Felicity stopped. “I’d prefer the couch.” she told her and nervously chewed on her lower lip. It took Caitlin all but 3 seconds to realize Felicity didn’t want to sleep in the bed that she shared with Oliver just a few months ago.

“You’ll sleep in my bed. It’s big enough for both of us.” Caitlin told her before she wrapped her arm around her and walked down the hallway to her bedroom.

Sleep came surprisingly easy for Felicity, but Caitlin wasn’t surprised at that. The day had been exhausting even for her, and she didn’t have to face her boyfriend to have a heartbreaking conversation with, so she could only imagine how exhausted Felicity must feel. Curled up into her sheets, Caitlin watched Felicity sleep peacefully before she also drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I already spoiled in the Comments, Oliver didn't cheat on her - he would never do that to Felicity (and I surely didn't build up his character growth throughout 18 Chapters to just jeopardize it again with one single dick move.)  
> The big question is now, how can he make Felicity believe that he's telling the truth?
> 
> And just because I'm a little bit evil...  
> Dialogue tease of the next Chapter:
> 
> "It’s not that your past is exactly immaculate when it comes to this, so…"


	20. broken trust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver fights for his love.
> 
> Be warned, this is basically 7k words of Angst... but I promise it'll get a lot better soon! :)

The next morning Felicity was in a lot better mood. Caitlin guessed it must be associated with the change of location for her. Being in Starling City, always having to fear she’d cross paths with Oliver kept her tense and with everything reminding her of their relationship there, she could understand why Felicity so easily agreed to come back to Los Angeles with her.

Felicity was still fast asleep when Caitlin silently slipped out of bed, took a shower and prepared breakfast for the two of them. Just when she came back from buying Croissants and Bagels, she saw Felicity leaving her bathroom.  
“Breakfast!” Caitlin announced when she entered the Apartment and waggled with the paper bag until Felicity gave her a small but honest smile.  
The two women settled on the couch and while they sipped on their coffee and nibbled on the food, Felicity told Caitlin as much as she could without feeling she might have to fight back tears again.

She also told her everything Oliver said to her before she ran away from him, and Caitlin kept listening to every word she said. She asked questions when she got curious about something and kept her mouth shut when she felt Felicity struggling with saying something.

To Felicity, it felt surprisingly refreshing to have a conversation partner that was so understanding. But then again, that’s why Caitlin was her best friend, so Felicity wasn’t too surprised.

 

They talked for several hours and the first few times when Felicity’s phone started ringing in her bag that sat on the kitchen counter, both women flinched at the sound. But after a while they just started to ignore the ringing. Both women knew all too well who was on the other line of the phone and if Felicity was ready to talk to Oliver, she would pick up the phone. But for the moment, she apparently decided to focus on the conversation with her best friend, which Caitlin was very grateful for.

At some point they had changed from Coffee to Wine. Felicity shot Caitlin a confused look and quirked an eyebrow when she handed her a wine glass, but Caitlin told her that it was Sunday and past 12pm and that because of the circumstances they were very well allowed to open a bottle from the emergency stash. Felicity actually had to laugh at that and thankfully accepted the filled glass.

 

The conversation changed from Oliver and Felicity to Caitlin and Ronnie at some point and Felicity loved not having to talk for a moment. It had been too long since she had the chance to have a thorough discussion with her best friend and she certainly missed to hear what was going on in Caitlin’s life. So she was happy to hear a bit of new information while she could shut out the mess of her own life for a while.

Caitlin was telling Felicity about their last date where Ronnie took her to an LA Kings game when suddenly, Caitlin’s landline started ringing.  
“Hold on, I’ll get that.” Caitlin announced and put the wine glass down before she hopped off the couch to answer the phone.  
“Hello?”  
“Hi, Oliver.” Caitlin’s tone suddenly changed from happy to dead serious. Felicity’s head shot around at the name. She honestly didn’t expect Oliver to call Caitlin, actually she was surprised that he still had that number saved.  
“No, she is not here, Oliver… - Yeah, I can do that. Yeah, bye.”  
Caitlin returned to the couch and plopped onto it with a sigh.

“I’m sorry Cait, I didn’t know he would call you here…”

“Oh it’s okay. He wanted me to tell you he’s worried because he can’t reach you over the phone and that you should call him, which I did now, and I’m not going to play the telephone game between you two, just so you’re warned.” Caitlin told her with a stern tone and Felicity had to giggle slightly at that. She remembered the break up with Cooper and the way Caitlin did all the work delivering messages between the two. Poor Caitlin really got caught up between them.

After Oliver called, Felicity wasn’t able to focus on stories of Caitlin and Ronnie and more and luckily, Caitlin wasn’t in the mood in sharing any new stories either. Felicity couldn’t help but think about Oliver for a moment; how he probably sat at home alone, trying to call her multiple times. She really cut him off the day before and ran away on him, but she also couldn’t stay any longer, afraid she might have a total breakdown next to him. It probably wasn’t the fairest thing to run away from him while he tried to explain himself, and at some point another conversation would be inevitable, but for the moment, she had to take care of herself and her own heart.

"What irritates me the most is the fact that I don’t know if I made the right choice. Am I letting go the person I love and probably the best relationship I ever had just because I can’t bring myself to believe him, because I can't forgive him for not being upfront with me? And what if I decide to go back to him, start all over again and then in a few months I figure out he really cheated on me, or hid more stuff from me… what then, Cait? I don’t think I could survive that." Felicity told Caitlin with a heartbroken tone and pure sadness on her face. For a moment, Caitlin was taken aback by Felicity’s sudden statement.

"Oh honey! You know how I think about Oliver, but no matter what, you guys need to talk to each other! You can't just leave him like that, not for yourself and not for him. If you want to move on, either way, talk to him, call him!"  
“Besides, I’m pretty sure he’ll call here again if you don’t return his calls, no matter how sternly I told him off.” Caitlin half mumbled and Felicity actually had to smile at that. She knew Oliver’s stubbornness too well and Caitlin definitely hat a point.  
“And what about your treatments? Didn’t you tell me you were so happy to be treated by Oliver’s Doctor? I mean, would you really cancel that, too?”

Caitlin was right. Felicity hadn’t considered the fact that she would have to look for a new Doctor yet again if she decided not to return to Starling City.  
“For now I’m only scheduled for one more appointment in a few weeks. I’ll just ask Barry to take me there and will discuss future treatments and appointments with the Doctor then. And I’m not even sure I’ll need any more physio for my leg. I can walk just fine and it’s not giving me any pain any more. I’ll be fine.” Felicity told her best friend, but deep inside she wasn’t sure who she tried to convince more – Caitlin or herself.

 

When Caitlin told her she had to run a few errands and drop off some work at the Company, but promised to return with Lunch later, Felicity took her time to gather her thoughts. Not having to talk to someone and explain what happened really helped her calm down for a moment. She enjoyed the silence and for the first time in more than 2 days, Felicity was able to sort out her mind.

Everything happened so fast that she didn’t have the chance to really decide between right and wrong or truth and lie. So she relaxed into the couch, sipped on the wine that Caitlin left her on the couch table and tried to get her head straight – about what happened the last two days, and about her future.

 

It took Felicity several hours of pacing and multiple attempts of dialing until she finally found the strength to call Oliver. It was already late in the evening and she wondered if he was still awake. She had no idea how to start the conversation or what to say at all, but Caitlin was right. If she wanted to move on, either way, she needed closure with Oliver. And there was no other way than telling him what she had on her mind and then get over with it. With that new found determination, she asked her phone to dial Oliver’s number and waited.

After the 5th ring she was ready to hang up, when suddenly a sleepy voice answered on the other line.  
“Hello?”

Felicity couldn’t say anything, even if she wanted to. Her throat stopped cooperating even though her mind screamed at her as soon as she heard his voice. The voice she hadn’t heard for over a day, since she ran away from him and left Starling City.  
The voice she fell in love with from the first day he asked her out in Marbella.  
And suddenly she realized it. She was far from being over him, the determination she made the call with long forgotten. But still, to move on with her life, she needed to make this call. She needed to end this her way, once and for all.

When she didn’t answer after a few seconds, Oliver spoke again, this time sounding more awake.  
“Anyone there?”

“Uh, yeah, uhm… it’s Felicity.” Oh, so her throat started working again, awesome.

“Hey,” Oliver replied and Felicity could hear the pain in his voice. She had never heard him that way and it weighed heavy on her heart. “It’s great to hear your voice… I tried calling you. I miss you. God, Felicity… I miss you so much.” he whispered and Felicity was surprised his voice could sound so broken.

She had to take a deep breath and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before she was able to speak again, unable to listen to Oliver’s broken voice for another second.  
“Uhm… so, the reason why I called… I need to say something to you, so please just hear me out. I’m not sure I can say it more than once, so…”

“Sure, you can tell me anything.” Oliver spoke, trying not to sound too hopeful at what Felicity could tell him.

"I had a bit of time to think about everything that happened and everything that you said to me yesterday. Even after two rough nights, and many conversations with Caitlin and Barry I still can’t think straight. I don’t know how to move on with my life yet, but I do know one thing, Oliver. One day, if I ever get my eyesight back, I want to be able to look at you and know for sure that nothing ever happened between you and that woman. And I don't know if I can ever do that." she sighed and Oliver could hear her gulp loudly.

“What do you mean?” Oliver asked her, confusion clearly audible in his voice.

“After what I heard that Amanda say to her friends at Balzac Coffee about sleeping with you and having had so much fun with you… I… it felt as my world was crushed down in one single moment. And even if you told me she lied, that’s not really the point, Oliver… deep down this isn’t about whether you did or did not sleep with her. It’s the fact that you weren’t upfront with me when you had the chance to, Oliver. You could have made everything right by just telling me, but you decided to hide it. Had you ever told me if I hadn’t found out myself?”

“I wanted to tell you Felicity, believe me I really wanted to. But the morning after, when we sat over breakfast, I wasn’t able to find the right words to explain everything that happened. And then Laurel called and you rushed off for shopping.” Oliver sighed, the words leaving his mouth faster than he intended to.

Felicity silently took in everything he told her. And even if it made sense somehow, she couldn’t ignore her broken heart and broken trust and forget everything that happened.  
“If I get my eyesight back, I don’t know if I can look at you and see the man I fell so deeply in love with several months ago if I don’t know I could fully trust you. And as much as I would want to, I can’t just give it a try and have my heart broken again if that lie turns out to be the truth or if I found out you’re hiding other things from me, Oliver. My heart is too fragile to take that risk. I need a partner that I can trust 100% and who also trusts me implicitly… and I really hoped you were that person, Oliver.” she told him and he could hear the heartbreak in her voice at the end of her sentence.

 

Oliver was taken aback by Felicity’s direct words. He could hear she struggled holding herself together and that she wasn’t as unaffected as she tried to sound, but no matter what, this wasn’t what Oliver expected to hear from her at all.

When he heard her voice over the phone he hoped she called him to tell him she’d believe him and when Felicity said there was something she wanted to tell him, he hoped she’d come back to him, give them another chance. A small part of his heart really believed in that. Until she spoke and shattered his heart into a thousand pieces.

He just lay there, with his head on the pillow, the pillow that once was hers, and let tears stream down his face silently. After he pinched his nose and swiped the tears away with his palm, he cleared his throat and tried to speak.  
"Don't think that you can just walk away and I’ll forget about what we had... I won't. Those months that we spent together meant so much to me... There's no way to forget that. Any of it. I love you, Felicity. Probably more than I have ever loved someone before. And I know you love me too. Please don’t let this happen. Please trust me when I say I’m telling the truth! And please believe me when I promise to never hide anything from you again!" he practically begged her.

At Oliver’s words, Felicity couldn’t hold back the tears any more. She never imagined it so hard when she talked to Caitlin about calling him.  
“I’ll move away, start new over. It thought it would only be fair to let you know, but please don’t look for me, Oliver. It would be fruitless and having your presence around me would only make things harder, for both of us.” she sobbed into the phone.

Her own heart sank while she spoke and though she thought all her tears had been cried for a while, new ones formed in the corner of her eyes, wetting her cheeks. She struggled so hard to tell him this, but she had to make sure he heard what she needed to say, otherwise she would never be able to move on. After wiping the tears away with her palm and taking a deep breath, she continued to speak. She knew she needed to finish this quickly because she wasn’t sure she could stand Oliver’s silent sobs any longer.  
“Please don’t look for me Oliver, and please don’t try to get Barry or Caitlin to tell you anything. They won’t.” Felicity tried to sound as firmly as possible, but failed miserably.

“So that’s it?” he suddenly spoke up, his voice sounding like a mixture of anger and defeat. “You just call me and tell me it’s over? You don’t even tell me in the face?” he almost yelled at her, unable to keep his emotions in check.

“Good-bye, Oliver.” she whispered with the last shaking, tear-ridden voice she could form before ending the call and breaking down on Caitlin’s living room floor, clutching the phone tightly to her heart.

 

Oliver just stared at his phone for long seconds before throwing it at the wall with a loud **“Fuck!”**. He threw his head back on the pillow and tried to form a coherent thought. Did Felicity just told him _‘This is it, there’s no way back for us’_? He couldn’t accept that. He couldn’t lose her, not like this.  
Oliver hopped out of bed quickly and made his way to the office, not caring for the shattered phone on the ground of his bedroom. He needed to call her again; she needed to listen to him and believe what he said. She just had to.

He quickly dialed her number; the only phone number his mind could never forget any more. It seared into his mind after he first lost his phone all these months ago and thought he had lost Felicity forever as well. That day, he promised to himself to never lose either of these two things again and yet he stood in his Loft right now, in nothing but his boxer briefs, a tear-ridden face, hastily trying to dial Felicity’s number to talk to her; make her believe him; make her come back to him.

The phone started ringing, and Oliver couldn’t think of anything else but Felicity. How much he missed her warmth and her laugh the last 2 days. How much he had hurt her by not telling her everything that morning. How much he wanted her back in his arms.  
After the 7th ring, the call went to her Mailbox and Oliver tried it again. This time, there wasn’t any ringing; the call immediately went to the Mailbox. She must have shut her phone down… after what seemed like the 10th time, Oliver gave up and slumped into his desk chair in defeat and exhaustion. He hadn’t slept more than 3 hours the last two days and had barely eaten anything at all. He needed to do something, anything. It had been two days since she left and he hadn’t spoken to anyone since. Anyone but her.

 

Before he could make it out of his chair, he grabbed the phone again and dialed another number. This time he was sure the recipient would pick up.  
“Ollie! Laurel and I were just talking about you over Dinner. Laurel wondered if you and Felicity left for a quick trip to Marbella or something because we couldn’t reach any of you – “

“Tommy.” Oliver interrupted him with a raspy voice, not able to pay any attention to what Tommy was saying to him.

“Oliver? What’s wrong?” Tommy immediately answered; high on alert after hearing Oliver’s almost breaking voice.

“I need your help, Tommy.” he whispered, not caring if his best friend could hear him with such a vulnerable tone.

“I’m on my way.” Tommy firmly replied before ending the call.  
Oliver slumped back into the chair, hiding his face behind his palms and exhaling loudly. He needed to make this right and maybe Tommy could offer some advice, he thought.

 

Quickly leaving the office, freshening up and putting on some half decent clothes that he found somewhere crumpled on the ground, Oliver made his way into the kitchen. Maybe a strong coffee could help him getting some thoughts straight, even if it was already past 9pm.

Just when he pulled a mug from the kitchen counter, his doorbell rang.

Tommy looked with a mixture of pity and support at the pale face that opened the door for him. Oliver didn’t say a word but silently patted back into the kitchen before pulling another mug from the counter for Tommy.

Tommy silently followed him into the Loft and took a seat on the counter, the seat that Felicity occupied every morning when she sat opposite of him and they chatted and laughed over breakfast. The seat that she wouldn’t sit on any more now.

When Oliver just stood there, two mugs in his hands, staring into the Loft, deep in thoughts without moving a muscle, Tommy spoke up and ripped him out of his thoughts.  
“Man, what happened? I have never seen you like that before! You’re white as a wall! What’s going on? You really scare me, buddy!”

“Felicity is gone.” It was all Oliver could bring himself to say at that moment.

Tommy furrowed his eyebrows and gave him a confused look. “What do you mean, gone? Back to Los Angeles?”

Oliver just nodded, clutching tightly to the mugs in his hands, never making eye contact with his best friend.

At that moment it dawned upon Tommy.  
“Oh no you didn’t, Queen!!” he almost blared over the kitchen counter. “Please tell me you didn’t, Oliver!”

Oliver immediately shook his head and looked straight at his friend.  
“I did **not** cheat on her!”

“Then what happened? Why is she gone?” Tommy asked him, clearly confused now.

“That night at the Gala… after you left, I got completely blasted. And after Sara left, I also took a Cab and wanted to head home. And the next thing I remember is waking up in that Hotel room –“

“Hold on, you woke up in a Hotel room? Alone?” Tommy interrupted him.

“With Amanda Kingston.” Oliver mumbled and Tommy’s eyebrows shot up at that.

“Wait a minute… You mean _'Fat Mandy'_ from High School?”  
Tommy had a very hard time keeping his expressions serious after hearing that name, an amused grin starting to spread on his face. Amanda hat always had a crush on Oliver in High School but ever since she grew up, went to College and lost around 50 pounds, neither of them had seen her again. Until that Gala Event.

“Yeah, but I didn’t wake up WITH her in the Hotel Room! I woke up on the couch, completely dressed except for my jacket. And when I left I saw her dress and high heels next to the bedroom door. I don’t even know if she was still in the room, I just wanted to get out and back home to Felicity.” Oliver sighed.

"Do you know for sure that you didn’t sleep with her? I mean, no offense buddy, but a few years ago this would have been a typical Ollie move, so..." Tommy asked him cautiously.

"I just know, okay?! I didn't do anything; I would never do that to Felicity!" Oliver growled at his best friend.

“Yeah then where’s the problem? If you say nothing happened, I’m sure Felicity will believe you.” 

“I didn’t tell her...” Oliver sighed and let his head fall down, rubbing his eyebrows in defeat.

Tommy gave him a very confused look, clearly not able to follow the conversation properly.  
“Hold on… Now I’m completely confused, Ollie… why exactly did she leave, then? Did she find out herself?”

Oliver took a deep breath, filled the coffee mugs and took a seat at the table. He gathered his thoughts and pushed the other mug in front of Tommy before he spoke again.  
“I don’t know, exactly… from what she told me, I assume she overheard a conversation between Amanda and someone else talking about having sex with me after the Gala. We wanted to meet at the Coffee Shop after she went shopping with Laurel but before I got out of the Stadium, she sent me a text message, telling me something had come up and she had to leave. I tried calling her when I got out of the Meeting but she wouldn’t pick up her phone. I tried it the entire afternoon until Barry finally answered her phone.”

“Wait, who’s Barry?” Tommy interrupted him with a raised hand.

“Her cousin. He lives here in Starling, but I don’t know where, exactly.”

“Yeah well, what did he tell you?”

“He told me Felicity was with him and that she was fine... And then he flat-out asked me if I cheated on her.” Olivers head dropped at that statement and Tommy was at a loss for words as well at that moment.

“I was completely shocked, didn’t know what to say. He told me to stay away from her for a while and not to call her anymore and then hang up on me. That was almost 2 days ago…” Oliver told him while he nervously rubbed his neck.

“Did you guys talk since then?”

“I wanted to tell her, Tommy. The entire morning after the Gala I tried to, but I couldn’t. After I got back home that night, I couldn’t even stand to sleep in the same bed with her. I felt so guilty, even though nothing happened. But even sleeping on a couch of a Hotel room I wasn’t supposed to be in, instead of sharing the bed with Felicity... I felt like shit and I promised myself, I would tell her right after she woke up and make sure she believed me.”

Oliver stared into his coffee mug with the already cooling liquid, looking at his best friend in hope of reassuring words or an idea how to fix that mess. He felt like throwing up and could only imagine how Felicity must be feeling right now. Tommy just watched him closely, taking in everything that Oliver said, careful to keep a blank expression on his face even though he was very confused about everything.

“The next day she and Barry came here to pack her stuff. I was at a Team Meeting and didn’t know and I almost missed her. When I came home, they were loading Barry’s truck with the last bags and were ready to leave. So I ran over and grabbed her hand, and when she turned her face to me I almost fainted. I have never seen her that pale before. When she just whispered _‘I know’_ before starting to cry again, I almost lost it.”

Oliver balled his fist around the mug handle, not caring for the pain that built in his palm.  
“I tried to explain what happened, that I wanted to come home to her after you and Sara had left the Party. That Amanda must have dragged me to her Hotel while I was passed out in the Cab.”

What did she do?” was all Tommy asked.

“She ran away. And I stood there, not knowing what to do. I tried following them, but they were already out of reach. I tried calling her a hundred times probably, but she never picked up. And an hour ago, she called me…”

“What did she say?”

“Told me that she’ll move away and doesn’t want me to search for her, basically. At first it felt like she was going to tell me she’ll come back so we could talk and figure things out, but when I heard her begin to cry, it felt as if she was calling to say Good-bye forever… until she did. And then she hung up.” Oliver’s shoulders sagged down and he stooped deeper into the chair before looking up at Tommy with nothing but defeat and emptiness in his eyes.

 

Tommy looked at him for a minute before rubbing his palm over his forehead with a groan. Normally he always had a good advice for his best friend, but in this case, even Tommy Merlyn was at a loss for words.  
“That’s some fucked up mess, man!”

“Don’t you think I don’t know that?!” Oliver answered with an irritated tone. This wasn’t the kind of support that he was hoping to get from his best friend.

Tommy thought about everything that Oliver just told him for a moment until he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers and let out a sigh.  
“Would you want me to call her? Maybe she’ll speak to me.” Tommy offered and Oliver’s face lightened up at that.

“Would you do that? I’m sure she’ll listen to you. Please just make her call me so I can explain everything again.” Oliver practically begged and Tommy had to raise his hands to stop him.

“Slow down Ollie, we don’t even know if she’ll pick up. But if she does and I can convince her to talk to you – how do you think you’ll make her believe you? I mean… telling her what really happened obviously didn’t help that much. If she didn’t believe you yesterday, she pretty much won’t believe you tomorrow… and honestly? Right now everything speaks against you. And I'm afraid that if you don't get Amanda to tell the truth about what happened, Felicity won't believe you."  
Tommy tried to sound apologetic, but since there wasn’t any way to say this nicely, he just hoped Oliver would understand.

“I don’t know,” Oliver sighed in defeat, “I thought about calling a lawyer and see if I can sue Amanda to tell the truth…”

“Or we get Amanda to confess she lied in front of Felicity!” Tommy suddenly spoke up, sounding overly excited about his own idea.

“Yeah and how do you think we can do that?” Oliver just snorted. “Obviously that woman loves to talk trash, why should she confess about lying?”

“We just have to convince her… _‘nicely’_.” Tommy just grinned at her before checking his watch.

“Alright, you call Amanda, I’ll call Felicity. But if she refuses to talk to me or tells me she doesn’t want me involved, I won’t bother her more. I’m going to respect her wishes. Got that?”  
Tommy looked at Oliver and didn’t say anything else until Oliver looked him in the eyes and nodded.

“I’ll call her tomorrow morning. I need to go now though; Laurel’s probably waiting for me over the cold Dinner. And you need a good amount of sleep, buddy! You look terrible!” he pointed a finger at Oliver before getting up from his chair, making his way to the door.  
“And don’t do anything stupid – figure out a way to get Amanda to confess that she lied! I’ll call you tomorrow to let you know how it went with Felicity.” Tommy called over his shoulder before shutting the Loft door behind him.

 

Oliver sat at the kitchen counter for another 30 minutes, staring down into his half filled coffee mug, thinking about her smile and her laugh and the way she used to cheer him up every night when he had a rough day. He still couldn’t imagine living without her from now on, even if he did so for two days already. When he looked around the room, he saw pieces of Felicity everywhere. Her bright pink blanket thrown over his comforter, her fluffy pillow on the armchair, all the flowers that she brought in that gave the entire Loft a whole new smell. Her smell… Oliver quickly got up from the stool and made his way into the bathroom.

When he arrived there, all her belongings were gone, except for one of her shower gels. It sat on the edge of the bathtub, next to his – and it made everything look perfectly fine, at least in that little corner of his Loft.

He didn’t want this to be over. He didn’t want Felicity to run away on him because of a lie that some other person told. He sure as hell wasn’t going to accept that an outsider could so easily ruin the best relationship he ever had.

 

With that newfound determination, Oliver quickly hopped under the shower and decided to try and have a good amount of sleep. Tomorrow morning, the first thing he’d do would be finding out Amanda’s number and meet with her, get her to admit she lied.

After thinking about different ways he could make Amanda confess, the worry and sadness about Felicity had been replaced through anger and determination. He was going to get Amanda to tell the truth and he was going to make Felicity believe him.  
With his new found confidence, Oliver drifted off to sleep.

 

The next morning Oliver was up early. He even skipped his morning run and went to his office instead, a coffee mug in hand. He knew he had to make a few calls, but finding out Amanda’s number shouldn’t be too much of an issue for him.

4 calls and 30 minutes later, Oliver stared at the phone number scribbled down on a piece of paper in front of him. What would he tell her? How should he start the conversation? He needed to make sure she agreed to meet with him, so he needed to keep his anger at bay for a moment. The yelling at her could come later.  
After thinking about a good way to start the conversation, Oliver decided to just call her and get her to meet with him as quick as possible.

After the 5th ring she answered the phone.  
“Hello?”

“Amanda, this is Oliver Queen.” Oliver replied with a firm tone, trying to keep his anger at bay as much as possible.

“Ollie, what a pleasant surprise!” Amanda replied with a very happy tone in her voice.

Oliver didn’t care for any of that. He just wanted to clear this mess and then get rid of that woman again. “We need to meet, as soon as possible.”

“Oh, uhm… sure! I’m shopping at the Starling Mall right now, what about meeting for Coffee somewhere around here in an hour?”

“How fast can you be at the City Hall Park?” he just replied.

“Uhm… in about 30 minutes? Should we meet there?”

“Yes, I’ll wait for you at the Fountain.” Oliver just replied before he wordlessly hung up.

 

Quickly after he left the office and dressed to get ready for the meeting with Amanda, Tommy called. He informed him that he wasn’t able to reach Felicity, but left her a message to call her back when she has time. Oliver sighed at that, had he hoped Tommy would be able to convince Felicity to meet with Oliver at some point, so everything could have been cleared out immediately with Amanda.  
Now he would have to do it the other way.

 

Oliver was pacing frantically around the Fountain, waiting for Amanda to arrive.  
Her High Heels clicking on the pavement was the first thing he heard when Amanda walked up to him.  
“Ollie!” she called and waved and rounded the Fountain with a bright grin on her face. When she immediately went to hug him, Oliver took a step back with raised hands, keeping an unreadable expression on his face. Amanda gave him a confused look and let her hands fall to the sides before she also took a step back.

“Anything wrong?” she asked him with a raised eyebrow. As soon as she spoke, Oliver’s whole expression changed to pure anger and he had a hard time keeping it at bay.

“Oh there definitely is,” Oliver glared at her, “How the fuck to you come to tell people we have slept together after the Gala??” he yelled at her and a few bypassing people gave them a weird look.

Amanda just stared at him for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

Oliver took a step closer to her before he waved an angry finger in her face. “YOU know very well what I’m talking about!! YOU told someone that we have slept together while MY girlfriend could hear you!”

Amanda eyed him for a moment, taking in Oliver’s rigid expression while his chest heaved up and down, his blue eyes boring into her, screaming nothing but anger.  
“Ohhh, trouble in paradise?” she replied with an arrogant tone. “What makes you so sure we didn’t actually sleep together?” she smirked at him. “As far as I remember you were pretty buzzed when we got into the Cab.”

“You know we didn’t do anything!” he warned her, his tone becoming even more angry. “And you are going to tell my girlfriend exactly that!” Oliver pointed his finger dangerously close to her face.

Amanda crossed her arms in front of her and made an annoyed face when she took a step back.  
“And why exactly should I do that?” she spat at him.

“Oh I will tell you. One, because YOU are the fucking reason my relationship is ruined and YOU will be the one to fix that. Two, because I swear to god, if you don’t correct that lie, I will make your life a living hell. Your reputation, your name, your status in this City… I will make sure that everything you care about will fall to ashes. And if that won’t bring you to your senses, you can trust me… I’ll pay the best lawyers of this country to bring you to your fucking knees!” Oliver spat at her and Amanda actually had to take another step back when he stepped into her personal space while yelling at her.

After letting everything that Oliver just blared at her sink in for a moment, Amanda casually shrugged her shoulder.  
“Alright, I confess… I lied… so what? It’s not that your past is exactly immaculate when it comes to this, so…”

“Oh shut up! My past is none of your fucking business! You are going to tell my girlfriend that we didn’t do anything and that you just took me to your Hotel room after I passed out in the Cab – a Cab that you weren’t supposed to be in in the first place!” he yelled.

“Well as far as I remember you weren’t putting up a fight when we were flirting earlier on the balcony at that Gala either, so…” she smirked at him with a cocked eyebrow.

“We weren’t flirting!! I was trying to have some peace for a moment – alone – when you suddenly walked up and buttonholed me. And just because you hopped into my Cab and dragged me to your Hotel room doesn’t mean we had anything, not even a fucking conversation! You are nothing but delusional and I won’t let your bullshit talk ruin my relationship!”

“Yeah well what do you think happens next?” Amanda spat at him, clearly annoyed by the whole conversation and the way Oliver yelled at her.

“I’ll call my girlfriend, get her to meet with us and you will tell her exactly what happened!”

Amanda just rolled her eyes, waved a hand dismissively in his direction and nodded.  
“Yeah well then… do your worst.”

 

Oliver already had his phone pulled out and tried calling Felicity multiple times. When the calls immediately went to her Mailbox after she didn’t pick up the first two times, Oliver left her a Message to call her back as soon as possible. He then called Tommy to ask him to try and reach Felicity again. When Tommy called back after a few minutes, letting him know he wasn’t able to reach her either, Oliver let out a frustrated sigh.

“How long do you think I’m going to wait here? It’s freezing and your _‘girlfriend’_ obviously doesn’t want to talk to you…” Amanda suddenly spoke up, clearly annoyed and bored.

“Shut up!” Oliver yelled at her while he dialed another number, his last chance to reach Felicity for now.

 

“Hello?”

“Caitlin, it’s Oliver… please don’t hang up on me! Can you get Felicity on the phone please? Or tell her to call me immediately? I really need to speak to her.” Oliver pleaded and Caitlin let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry Oliver, even if I’d try to help you, I can’t… Felicity isn’t here anymore. She left this morning.” Caitlin sighed.  
Oliver was taken aback for a moment, staring into the Park.

“What do you mean… she left? Where did she go?” he asked her, sounding confused and dejected at Caitlin’s statement.

“She left this morning, but she asked me not to tell you where she went, and I’m sorry Oliver but I respect her wishes. I can’t tell you anything, as much as I’d like to help. I can pass on a message though.”  
Caitlin sounded honestly compassionate when she spoke but Oliver wasn’t able to hear any of that besides the fact that Felicity was gone.

“Please tell me where she went, Caitlin, please. This is all a huge misunderstanding; she heard some woman talking bullshit. Caitlin, please don’t let this ruin my relationship with her! You’re my last hope right now!” Oliver begged, not caring that Amanda still stood in hearing distance all the time.

“I’m sorry Oliver, I can’t. But I can tell her what you just told me; maybe she’ll get in touch with you then.” Caitlin tried to assure him. “She trusts me that I’m not telling anyone where she went; and we both know how much broken trust Felicity already had to deal with this year.” she sighed.

“I can’t lose her. Not like that.” Oliver half whispered, his mind going completely blank.

This morning, when he got up, he was sure that the plan he had formed in his mind would work and he could convince Felicity that she heard nothing but lies. He was determined to bring her back to him as quick as possible. He was determined to make her forgive him for not telling her right that morning.  
Now, after Caitlin’s announcement that Felicity had left, he didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry Oliver, I really am. But I gotta go now.” Caitlin sounded apologetic and even a bit sorry for him. They were never the best of friends, but she could hear that Oliver seemed to be completely heartbroken. And she felt truly sorry for him.  
When he didn’t reply, she reluctantly hung up and ended the call.

 

Oliver stared through the Park for several long moments, completely lost in thoughts.  
“Uhm, helloooo…” a very annoyed Amanda ripped him out of the empty thoughts that clouded his mind, “How long do you think I’m going to stand here? It’s freezing, so if everything’s said I’d like to leave and continue my Shopping Tour.”

“You are coming with me.” Oliver suddenly announced, gripped her wrist and started walking to the Parking Lot outside the Park. He had to drag her behind him for a few steps while Amanda tried to loosen his grip on her wrist, but when she realized her efforts were fruitless, she fell into step behind him, loudly mouthing her annoyance.  
“Where do you think we’re going?”

“We’re meeting with my lawyer, who will set up a Paper for you to sign. A Paper that will state that everything you said about me – about us – was a barefaced lie and nothing more than bullshit talk to impress your friends.” Oliver firmly announced when he arrived at his parked Porsche and motioned for her to get inside.

Amanda rolled her eyes and took the passenger seat. Oliver was quick to steer the car through the streets of Starling City, keeping his eyes firmly on the road. He didn’t say a word and he was happy Amanda chose to do so as well. At least for the first few minutes of the drive. She rubbed her wrist with the other hand, trying to soothe the pain Oliver had caused when he dragged her through the Park behind him.

When Tommy called him again and Oliver put the phone on speaker, Amanda kept a close ear on the conversation as well.  
“Has she gotten back to you already, man?” Tommy asked him and Oliver had to bite back a sigh, trying not to show any emotions while Amanda sat next to him in the car.

“No. I’m on my way to my lawyer with Amanda right now.” Oliver quickly replied to make sure Tommy didn’t give away too much information, not knowing that _’SHE’_ was with him in his car right now.

“Alright, I’ll let you know when she gets back to me.”

“Thanks buddy. Talk to you later!” Oliver replied and ended the call.

When Amanda saw them passing the city limit sign of Starling City, she shot Oliver a surprised look.  
“Where the hell does that lawyer of yours live? It’s not that I have all day for this kind of crap…”

“Fall City.” Oliver only replied, never caring to look at her. That woman had done too much damage to his relationship already and he couldn’t stand to look at her more than he already had.

Hopefully Helena would be able to at least lawfully fix some of the damage that has been done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: Tommy and Laurel's wedding :)
> 
>  
> 
> Dialogue tease for the next Chapter:  
> "I would like to prevent any of this from happening again in the future.”


	21. Fall City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to Fall City brings up a little background story of Felicity for Oliver.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this Chapter took a little longer than originally planned. On the last day of our vacation I catched a lovely sunstroke that knocked me out for almost an entire week. And now, thanks to my lovely husband, I'm lying in bed with the biggest flu I've ever had. But at least I can work on the Laptop again, yay me. :)

Helena was surprised to see Oliver at her office, but she was even more surprised to see him entering her office with someone who was pretty much not Felicity. But even though she was confused about the other woman accompanying him, she successfully hid her expression behind a slightly quirked eyebrow.

“Helena, I know this is all of a sudden, but do you have time right now?” Oliver asked her and Helena was surprised to hear the huge amount of tension and nervousness in his voice; even more than when he and Felicity came to her about the contract with the Coast City Falcons.

“Sure, uhm... Please go right into my office. I’ll be there any minute, just need to take care of something.” Helena replied and motioned for Oliver to enter her open office door while she quickly walked over to the front desk to inform her secretary.

Oliver silently walked in and made sure Amanda would follow. Even though he never directly looked at her he made sure that she wouldn’t run on him.

 

When Helena entered the office a few minutes later and took a seat opposite of them, Oliver didn’t waste much time and got right to the point. He told her about the Gala, about the fight he had with his father (without going too much into detail, since Amanda was still with them in the room) and how Felicity ran away after overhearing a conversation with Amanda telling some other people about her sleeping with Oliver.

Helena just sat in her office chair and listened closely but never said a word, not daring to interrupt Oliver’s rambling. Amanda though, sat on the chair next to Oliver, her head down, facing her lap. If Oliver would have spared her a glance he would have seen her look – bored with a tiny hint of shame?  
Oliver never addressed her directly, though. He always spoke about her in third person when he explained the situation to Helena. Helena looked over to her from time to time but never gave away any expression.

“Okay, and how can I help you in this?” Helena finally spoke up after Oliver finished his story and sank back into his chair with a sigh.

“I need you to set up some kind of lawful confession for her to sign and a declaration to cease and desist for the future. And I’d like for you to send a copy of each to Felicity.” he turns his head and looks at Amanda directly while he spoke to Helena. “I would like to prevent any of this from happening again in the future.”

“Uh, sure no problem. We can do that. Give me an hour and I’ll have everything ready to sign.” Helena smiled at him and left the office to talk to her secretary.

 

“Do you think all of this is worth it? I mean, obviously your girlfriend isn’t interested in hearing the truth, so…” Amanda suddenly spoke up with a shrug and Oliver immediately glared at her.

“You should really shut your mouth for once. Especially when it comes to my relationship with Felicity. Don’t you think you have done enough damage already?” he yelled at her, trying to keep his tone on room volume.

“Whatever.” Amanda roller her eyes and sank back into the chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m just saying… if that relationship is so perfect – why did she run on you so quickly? Shouldn’t she trust you when you tell her nothing happened?” Amanda smirked at him. “Seems to me that relationship wasn’t so perfect after all.” she half purred at him and Oliver suddenly felt the urge to just choke her to shut her up.

“Like I told you – my relationship is none of your fucking business.” Oliver growled at her. “You have done enough damage already so I suggest you just shut your mouth.”

Amanda just rolled her eyes with an annoyed sigh and pulled out her mobile phone to kill the time. Oliver constantly switched between texting and calling, trying to get ahold of Felicity as well as updating Tommy on everything.

 

45 minutes later, Helena entered the office again, offering Oliver a supportive smile. The pile of papers she carried was put down on her desk and Oliver watched closely while she arranged small stacks in front of her. Amanda just quickly looked up from her phone before zoning out on the conversation again.  
“Alright Oliver, I’d like you to read everything I’ve set up and if you’re satisfied with everything, please sign here and here.” Helena marked the spots with an _X_ before she turned her attention to Amanda.  
“I will need your ID to put down on the contracts and I also need contact information for your personal lawyer so I can forward him everything that’s being signed here today.” she told Amanda with an almost expressionless face.

“That won’t be necessary,” Amanda suddenly replied while she shoved her phone back into her bag. “I’ll just sign the stuff Oliver wants me to and then I’d like this to be over with.” she waved her hand at the papers neatly stacked on the desk in front of her.

“Unfortunately, that’s not how this works, darling,” Helena politely replied with a smile and Oliver had to look up for a moment at Helena’s kind of snotty reply to Amanda. “This isn’t just some school papers you’re signing here. Oliver has made it very clear that he wants to be legally covered on this, so everything will be forwarded to your lawyer. If he disagrees with anything, he can gladly contact me.” she smiled at Amanda and Oliver could only stare at Helena for a long moment.

When Amanda eyed her for a moment, tilted her head and was about to protest, Helena quickly raised her hand and stopped her ramble before it could begin.  
“You see, you didn’t just mess with two of my clients, you also messed with two of my friends. And with what you did, trust me when I say I’ll personally make sure you won’t cause any more problems to these people than you already did.” Helena slowly spoke while she slightly leaned over her desk, fully facing Amanda.

Oliver still stared at Helena, but his expression changed from surprised to completely baffled. Did Helena really call him a friend? Felicity, sure. As far as he knew the two were roommates for a while and spent a lot of time together during College. But him? She had met him just once and when she did, he wasn’t exactly in the best physical condition, let alone able to fully recognize Helena as a person with all the trouble about the contract going on. And still he couldn’t hide the pride that crept up in him while he watched Helena beat down Amanda with confident looks and sharp words.

Amanda let Helena’s words sink in for a moment, never breaking eye contact with the lawyer sitting opposite of her. After a few seconds, she just rolled her eyes and waved a hand in the air before sliding over her ID and a business card of her personal lawyer.  
“Fine! Can we just get over with this crap? Tell me where I have to sign and I’ll be out of here, thanks.” she growled at Helena and Oliver who was still checking the papers Helena had set up for him.

Helena made quick work of Amanda’s personal information and put them into her Computer before returning her ID. Oliver thoroughly studied the contracts before he looked up. When he shot Helena a confident smile and nodded slightly, she handed him a pen and Oliver quickly put his mark down everywhere she asked him to. When they were done, Helena turned her attention to Amanda again.

Without even bothering to read one sentence of what was written down in the contracts, she quickly signed everything before getting up from her chair.  
“Are we done, finally?” she asked with an annoying tone, grabbing the bag that rested next to her chair.

“Pretty much, yeah.” Helena replied with a smile. “I take it you’ll find yourself a way home? Oliver and I still have to discuss a few things and I doubt he’ll leave Fall City within the next hour.”

“I wouldn’t want to spend any more minute with that idiot!” Amanda spat out at Helena, directly facing Oliver while she spoke.

“Well you didn’t sound so disgusted when you told your friends that bullshit about us.”  
As soon as the words left his mouth, Oliver was surprised at himself and his confidence at that moment. He tried to ignore Amanda as much as possible and after everything that had happened the last few days, Oliver had lost the strength to put Amanda in her place with comments like that. So he pinned his current confidence solely on Helena.  
Without another word, Amanda stomped out of the office.

 

Oliver sank back into his chair and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding since they left Starling City. He rubbed his face and sighed into his palms in exhaustion.  
“So… Amanda Kingston? Charming person.” Helena smiled at Oliver and leaned back into her chair. Oliver just groaned at that but never said a word. “So… where’s Felicity?” she asked him, her tone becoming more serious that moment.

Oliver just gave her a defeated look. “She ran away after she heard what Amanda said. I didn’t even get a proper chance to explain everything to her and now she won’t answer my calls or return my messages.” Oliver sighed and looked down into his lap.

Helena quickly checked her watch before she spoke again. “Let’s go grab something to eat, shall we? It’s already past 7 and I haven’t eaten all day and you look like you could use a good meal, too.” she smiled at Oliver and shut down her Computer. Oliver wordlessly followed her out of the office. Helena was right. He hadn’t eaten anything all day and he even missed his morning run and his Training Session that day. Coach Wilson wouldn’t be pleased but Oliver didn’t care for any of that at that moment.

 

They took Oliver’s car and Helena guided him through the streets of Fall City to a small Diner in the heart of the City. It hadn’t been too crowded that day which Oliver was grateful for. Once they stepped inside, Helena was greeted with a smile and Oliver realized she must be a regular guest here. When the waiter took them to a table in a quiet, secluded corner, they both took a seat. 

The waiter brought them both a glass of water and poured Helena a glass of wine. When he motioned to Oliver and Helena also shot him an expectant look, Oliver raised his hand with a polite smile.  
“Not for me, thanks. I still need to drive home.”

Helena slightly leaned over the table, completely ignoring the waiter when she spoke to Oliver with a genuine smile.  
“I know this probably sounds really cheesy, but I have 2 guest rooms and you could always crash in one of them for the night.”

Oliver could see she wasn’t having any intentions, but sleeping in any Apartment that wasn’t his was the last thing he planned to do for a long time now.  
“Given the current circumstances, I think that’s the worst thing I could do. Thanks for the offer though.” Oliver half smiled at her and Helena just nodded slightly with a grin. She thanked the waiter who put the bottle next to the table and left.

 

They ordered their food and chatted casually about living in Fall City vs. living in Starling City. As soon as the food arrived, Oliver couldn’t hold it back any more.  
“Helena… I know you’re loyal to Felicity, but right now you’re pretty much my only hope. Would you contact her and ask her to get back to me?“ he practically begged and Helena could see the desperation in his face.

She wiped the corners of her mouth with the napkin and took a sip of her wine before she replied to him.  
“You really love her, do you?”

“You have no idea how much.” Oliver sighed. “I can’t live without her. I need her back in my life.”

Helena placed the napkin in her lap again and rested her arms on the table.  
“Look, I know Felicity for quite a while now and life hasn’t always been easy to her. Especially when it came to relationships. I’m not going to spill any personal stuff about her, that’s hers to tell, but let me tell you that if Felicity set her mind on something, it’s really hard to change that. Believe me, I’ve tried already.” she laughed slightly and Oliver listened closely, his Steak long forgotten. “If Felicity decided running away from everything was the only way to handle things for her, than there isn’t much you can do to change her mind. She has to realize herself she’s making a mistake, which, by the way, I do believe she does the more I get to know you,” Helena genuinely smiled at him, “but calling her all the time won’t do much to help your situation, I’m afraid. And I do know Felicity; she hates if friends are being dragged into this, so I’m sorry but I can’t contact her for you. What I will do for you though, is forward everything we have signed today to her so she can see you’re being honest and sincere with her.”

Oliver just nodded slightly at that. He knew Helena was right. He already tried getting Tommy and Caitlin to help him without success. If he now also dragged Helena into this, there would be a good chance Felicity wouldn’t only be hurt by him, but mad at him as well. And that wasn’t the form of damage control he was trying to do.  
“Any idea how I can get back in touch with her? Make her listen to me?”

“I don’t know the exact terms of your break-up, but from past experiences I can tell you, give her time. With her blindness going on right now on top of everything, she’s even more fragile than she already was, even if she wouldn’t admit it. I know her – she wouldn’t _not_ get back to you, especially after the contracts that you set up today to prove her you’re being sincere. Which was a bold move, by the way. Actually I expected Amanda to put up some kind of a fight with the clause saying she’d have to pay a 100 grand for every new lie she might tell regarding your or Felicity’s person. I just had to put down something like that, just to annoy her for messing with Felicity.” Helena grinned and chuckled and Oliver actually had to smile at that, too.

“I’m pretty sure she would have signed anything, just to get out of your office.” he smiled at her and Helena just nodded with a grin. “Thank you, by the way. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I drove here, but you were pretty much my last shot. So thank you – for helping me.” Oliver told her with sincerity in his voice that made Helena smile.

 

They talked well into the night and Oliver relaxed more and more into the conversation with Helena. He was happy to have found someone willing to help him, even if it just was through words of advice regarding Felicity. Talking to Helena about her also helped him miss her a little less. The urge to call her almost every two hours had been gone while he talked to Helena about her and he was sure to take Helena’s advices to give her some space, even though he hated it. Not knowing if she would ever return to him made him go crazy internally and Helena, the attentive person she was, immediately sensed him drifting away from their conversation and into his thoughts.

“She will contact you, Oliver, I’m sure.” Helena smiled at him and gently squeezed his hand resting on the table. He quickly looked at their hands on the table before looking up into her eyes.

“How can you be so sure? Because right now, it feels like I’m never going to hear from her again.”

“I’m sure because I could see how much she loves you. And if you told her the truth and she’ll believe you – which I’m sure she does – then she’ll come back to you. It’s just that no one except her knows when that might be. And until then, you’ll have to decide for yourself if she’s worth the waiting. Because let me tell you this, Oliver,” she said before emptying her glass of wine, “if she decides to return to you and sees you with another woman, you’ll lose her forever. She had been there before, and after I have seen her coping with it the way she did back then, I can tell you she won’t forgive you any more mistakes.” Helena looked at him with a serious expression and Oliver could only imagine what Helena was talking about.

“What happened to her?” he asked her, his curiosity taking over.

Helena eyed him for a long moment before she refilled her wine glass again, emptying the bottle in the process. Oliver could see she really considered her next words. She took a long sip of her wine, put her glass down and started fumbling with the stem while she watched her fingers closely.  
“There had been a guy in College,” Helena started very hesitantly and Oliver had to take a deep breath, scared of what might come next. “They had been dating for a while and Felicity was head over heels for him. She told me he was her first real relationship and she was just so excited. I didn’t know him, but told her to be careful nonetheless. I’ve had my fair share of College-relationships and I didn’t want her to end up in a mess like I did – multiple times.” she laughed lightly before looking up at Oliver. He gave her a sympathetic smile.  
“Well, things got messy real quick between her and that guy. Apparently he screwed half the Campus but she was the only one not knowing it. When she walked in on him making out with a chick, he told her to just deal with it or leave. She locked herself in our bathroom for 3 days and it took me a hell of convincing to make her come out. When she did, that guy waltzed into our Room and apologized to her with roses and all that crap. Big gesture, and she just ran back into his arms – only to find him screwing yet another chick when she wanted to surprise him at his Frat House a few days later. Long story short, she lost trust in pretty much anyone, especially guys. And I mean, who could blame her?” Helena asked with a slight shrug of her shoulder before she took another sip of her wine. Oliver just stared down at his half empty glass of water, letting everything Helena had told him sink in. The urge to just find that guy who did that to Felicity and punch him in the face was becoming stronger and stronger.  
“Well, after a few months I changed College and we lost contact for a while. She eMailed from time to time and we even met twice, but it wasn’t the same. Well and the next thing I hear about her is she’s engaged and going to marry that guy from Los Angeles I’ve never heard of before. Can’t say I wasn’t surprised.” Helena quirked an eyebrow slightly and looked down into her glass.  
“Then I hear about her break-up and the accident and a few weeks later you two walk into my Office. Life goes strange ways sometimes.” she smiled at him and Oliver wasn’t sure what that smile could mean.

 

When they realized the Restaurant had cleared out all guests except for them, they decided to call it a night and head home as well. They exchanged phone numbers so they could stay in touch without him having to drive to Fall City every time they want to talk and Helena gave him a small hug after he dropped her off at her Apartment.

“It was nice talking to you, Oliver.” she smiled at him. “Let me know if you want to grab Dinner again in the future.” Helena gave him a warm smile and waved him goodbye before she made her way upstairs into the building.

 

The drive home, Oliver had been thinking about everything Helena had told him about Felicity. He knew she was fragile and hurt even though she tried to hide it as good as possible or excuse it with her blindness, but he could have never known how broken she really was. Just thinking about her made his heart ache. He contemplated about contacting her again, but Helena’s words kept ringing in his head. He sped the way home, needing a good amount of sleep to face the wrath of his coach the next day. Plus, he still needed to talk to Laurel and tell her what was going on, especially after he saw 3 missed calls from her when he left the Restaurant with Helena. She was probably trying to reach Felicity to discuss wedding stuff with her. The thought about the wedding of his best friends made his heart ache even more. Oliver was so excited to spend that wedding with Felicity, to see her in a dress, maybe even dance with her, even though he wasn’t a dancer at all. He wanted to spend some more days with her in Marbella after the wedding, surprise her with another visit to the Zoo they had been to all these months ago. He had it all planned already as a surprise, and now he would have to attend the wedding alone, without her by his side. Oliver tried to shake these thoughts away for a moment, for he didn’t want to drown in another bubble of sorrow again.

When he arrived at his Loft, he parked the car and quickly made his way upstairs, the headache and exhaustion of his body after the day calling for a good amount of sleep. When the elevator doors opened and he made his way to his Loft, he froze suddenly. Through the frosted glass of his Loft door he could see light shining through the hallway, probably coming from the living room.

“Felicity.” he whispered and sped to the door, opening it within seconds, not bothering to close it behind him while he ran through the long hallway into the living room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the wedding.


	22. the wedding

When Oliver arrived in the living room, slightly out of breath from storming into the Apartment so suddenly, a very confused pair of eyes stared at him. Not the pair of eyes he expected to see, though.  
“Why is Felicity’s stuff gone, Ollie? Where is she?” Thea asked him and he could see the confusion written all over her face. He knew his sister had bonded with Felicity a lot over the last few months and right at this moment, he felt bad for not telling her sooner. But what should he have told her, anyways?

“Thea,” he started but she cut him off right away.  
“ _’Thea’_ my ass, Ollie! Where is she? What did you do?” Thea spat at him and crossed her arms over her chest when she got up from the couch.

Oliver had to take a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves at the accusation of his sister. Everyone expected him to mess up things all the time, even his baby sister. Especially his baby sister. And even though he was at fault for not telling Felicity what happened right the morning after, he didn’t do anything else wrong to shoo Felicity away. It was her choice to leave the way she did.  
“Felicity left, Thea. And before you start accusing me of fucking things up again – I did not! She heard some bullshit talk about me, believed it and ran away. I’ve been trying to convince her to stay or come back to me for 3 days now.” Oliver sighed and made his way over to the hallway to close the door and kick off his shoes.

“3 days??? She’s been gone for 3 days and you don’t think about letting me know?” Thea yelled at him from the living room.

“Oh I’m sorry Speedy that getting the love of my life back was more important to me than updating my little sister on every step of my life. If you had a life of your own maybe you would understand.” he half yelled at her and Thea flinched slightly at his harsh tone and choice of words.

“I’m sorry Speedy, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I’m tired and just want to get to sleep. Stay here, we’ll talk tomorrow morning, okay?” Oliver backpedaled and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug and gently kissing her forehead.

“Do you miss her? Because I already miss her and I literally just heard she’s gone.” Thea half sobbed into his chest and tightened the hold on him.

“I miss her like crazy. I miss her so much, I can’t sleep or eat. I already missed one of my Trainings this morning and honestly? I have no idea what to tell Laurel.” he sighed and loosened the grip on his little sister before taking a step back.  
“But for now, we both really need some sleep. You look like a bus ran you over and I know for a fact I look the same.” he half joked at Thea and she gave him a slight smile.  
“Good night, Speedy.” he told her before he quickly made his way upstairs. Having his little sister in the Apartment again felt strange somehow, since she hadn’t spent a night here since Felicity moved in. But knowing he wasn’t alone in the large Apartment, at least for one night, relaxed him a bit.

 

The next morning Oliver awoke to the smell of fresh coffee. He had to double check his phone to realize he had slept almost 10 hours straight. After thanking god for not having another Training session this morning, he quickly hopped out of bed, took a shower and made his way downstairs to find his sister sitting at the kitchen counter over a mug of coffee, scrolling through her phone.  
“Hey, Speedy.” he smiled at her when he padded into the kitchen and grabbed himself a mug as well. She gave him a small smile while sipping on her coffee.

“I really miss sleeping here. It’s so much nicer than the Mansion.” she mumbled while looking around the large, open Apartment.

“You know you can always crash here when Mom or Dad are getting too annoying. That’s why I gave you the keys to the Apartment.” he smiled at her. “Besides, you make the best coffee.” he grinned at her after taking a sip from his mug.

“So… care to share a few more details on why Felicity ran away?”  
Charming, Thea. Coming right to the point at 9am. A fact that he usually loved about his little sister but would have liked to avoid at this moment.

After a sigh, Oliver decided to give in and just reply to her.  
“I’ll give you the short story because the long story would be too time consuming and honestly, I’m tired of explaining every detail over and over again.”  
Thea just nodded and waited for him to speak again.  
“Felicity heard some woman telling her friends about sleeping with me after that Art Gala and she believed it. It seems the woman told a very convincing story.” Oliver sighed. “While I was away for Training, she came here, grabbed all her stuff and practically ran away. If I wouldn’t have caught her in front of the building, she probably would have never told me why she ran – she would have just been gone.” he frowned, remembering the situation in front of the building where he practically ran into Barry and Felicity fleeing from his Apartment.

“Did you do it?” Thea suddenly asked him and Oliver gave her a confused look.

“Did I do what, Speedy?”

“Sleep with that woman.”

“Of course not! You know that kind of trash talk about me. It’s not the first time some chick told her friends or the press some story like that.”

“Then why didn’t you tell Felicity?”

“I tried to, multiple times! She just wouldn’t listen to me.” Oliver sighed and plopped into the kitchen stool opposite of his sister.

“I’ll call her.” Thea suddenly announced and Oliver gave her an almost shocked look.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Speedy. Tommy already tried contacting her and she didn’t get back to him either and – “ but Thea completely ignored his rambling, already dialing Felicity number on her phone before she hit the call button, put the phone on speaker, set it on the kitchen counter between them and waited for the other party to answer the call.  
“Thea, she won’t pick up. I’ve tried it plenty of times already. The calls go straight to the Mailbox after a while. I think she already made it pretty clear she doesn’t want to talk to anyone.” Oliver tried it again but Thea didn’t pay him any attention while she listened to the phone ringing in front of her.

“Hello?” a sleepy voice suddenly spoke up from the other line and Oliver almost dropped his mug. He knew that voice so well. The voice he tried to talk to over the last few days but never reaching her. Thea stared at him equally surprised and exchanged looks between her phone and her brother, not knowing what to do now.  
“Hellooo?” came her voice again, sounding a bit more awake.

Thea quickly picked up her phone before Oliver could launch for it, muted the speaker and put it to her ear.  
“Fee, hi! It’s Thea!”

Oliver watched her closely, trying to make out any sounds coming from Felicity over the phone. He didn’t move a muscle, he wasn’t even sure if he was still breathing, all he could do was staring at the phone in Thea’s hand and the expressions that Thea’s face gave away.  
“Oh, nothing, I was just wondering how you were doing and if you’d be able to grab lunch today?”

Thea replied and Oliver was glad Thea went for a casual topic, not addressing the elephant in the room through the phone.  
“Oh… okay? When will you be back? There’s still so much wedding stuff we need to discuss and – oh, okay, I see… have you told Laurel already? – Yeah, … okay, then… take care, Lis. Promise to call me any time soon? – Okay, bye.”

Oliver watched his sister closely the entire time she spoke, but aside from a big frown on her face that grew even bigger the longer the conversation went on, he couldn’t make out anything else.  
“What’s going on? What did she say?” he asked her impatiently as soon as Thea ended the call.

Thea rubbed her forehead and put the phone back on the counter. “She said she’s with a friend right now and that you would explain everything to me. And she won’t be at Laurel and Tommy’s wedding, she’ll call Laurel later today to let her know. She sounded so broken, Ollie…” Thea frowned at him with sad eyes.

 

Oliver looked at his sister for a few moments before he suddenly hurried out of the kitchen.  
“Where are you going?” he heard Thea call after him when he ran upstairs to the bedroom.

“I need to call Laurel. She needs to know. If Felicity is the one telling her what happened, and Laurel finds out it happened almost 3 days ago and I didn’t inform her, especially considering it’s so short before her wedding, she’ll never talk to me again!”

 

Oliver came back downstairs a few moments later, the phone on his ear, deeply engaged in an apparently not-so-nice conversation with Laurel. Well, actually it was Laurel talking – or better, yelling at him through the phone, while Oliver let out casual groans and sighs or gave a quick reply.  
He didn’t want to tell Laurel what happened and why Felicity ran away, but he couldn’t just tell her Felicity wouldn’t be attending the wedding, either. So he needed to put everything on the table, and he needed to do so before Felicity called her.

After a conversation that never seemed to end, Oliver stuffed the phone into his pocket and slumped onto the couch next to Thea.  
“So, what are we going to do now?”  
Oliver ran out of ideas. Everything that he could have done, he had done already. But as long as Felicity refused to talk to him, he couldn’t do anything else. He had talked to Amanda, had a signed confession from her, he had even talked to Caitlin and Helena… but still Felicity refused to answer his calls or get in touch with him.  
“Honestly? I have no idea, Thea.” Oliver frowned.

 

 

The week passed by in a blur. Oliver had to pay Laurel and Tommy an uncomfortable visit since Laurel expected him to explain everything to her in person all over again. And since the wedding was up within the next two weeks and Laurel was already a mess because of it, Oliver didn’t want to put up a fight. So he went there and told them everything again. Over Dinner.

 

That week he also received the signed and finalized contracts and confessions from Helena’s office. He gave her a quick call after that, asking if copies had been sent out to Felicity’s address as well, even though he had no idea if Felicity actually still lived at the address Helena had been given. But he didn’t dare to ask for it, after Helena assured her she also received a copy of each.

 

Then there had been the preparations for the wedding. Tommy and Laurel were the first ones to fly to Marbella, along with Laurel’s sister Sara and their father Captain Lance. Oliver, Thea, and some more close family members and friends were scheduled to follow a few days later. So between Training at the Starling Archers and getting everything ready for the wedding, there hadn’t been much time to dwell in thoughts about Felicity. He thought about her daily, though, and he missed her like crazy. But being so occupied with work and the wedding, part of him enjoyed being so distracted. It prevented him from drowning in his sorrow.

 

So when the day came for the Queen family, along with some other friends of Tommy’s and Laurel’s, to board the plane and fly to Marbella, Oliver actually had to face his father for the first time since the fallout between them at the Gala. The fallout that made him get completely drunk. The fallout that led to Felicity running away from him.  
He greeted his mother with a kiss to the cheek and chose to completely ignore his father. Robert Queen just raised an eyebrow at him but the look that he gave him indicated Oliver that they would have to have a conversation later.

 

Upon arrival in Marbella, everyone had settled down in their respective Hotel Rooms and had taken the night off to recharge after the long flight. Everyone, except for Oliver.  
As soon as they all said their goodbyes to Tommy and Laurel for the rest of the evening, Oliver went down into the Lobby and requested a rental car to be brought up. He soon found himself steering the car through the streets of Marbella, away from the Hotel and down the roads to the beach.

They weren’t staying in the Hotel he and Felicity had stayed together all these months ago, which he was actually happy for. Being back here – alone – already reminded him hard enough of the sad truth about his broken relationship with Felicity.  
When he found a parking spot in a small alley, Oliver grabbed his phone and wallet and walked the last few feet to the beach. He was sure taking a walk along the beach would help him clear his mind a bit. The recent encounter with his father made him tense up and he didn’t want to be a total mess at the wedding of his best friend.

 

After walking along the waterline for almost half an hour, he took a seat on one of the lounge beds the Hotels provided. He leaned back and looked into the dark sky, thinking about how much his life had changed – yet again – in such a short amount of time.  
The last time he sat at that beach, almost half a year ago, he had a beautiful, bubbly yet shy young blonde woman by his side and never in his life would he have guessed how important that woman might become shortly after that late night picnic at the beach. Thinking about the evening they spent together at the beach, he looked around and realized something familiar. A small path, leading up to a Restaurant Patio. When he looked around again, it dawned on him – he had stopped just at the spot Felicity and him had taken back then. The spot that he carried her to when she wanted to stick her toes into the water, the spot where he had kissed her for the first time. Realizing none of that would come back any more, a silent tear found its way down his cheek. Oliver didn’t care to stop it though, he just bowed his head and stared at his phone.

After taking a few deep breaths and wiping the tear away with his thumb, Oliver unlocked his phone and started writing a text message. It took him several attempts and multiple times of editing until he finally settled on a text. When he scrolled through his contacts and selected Felicity as the receiver, he quickly hit send before he could change his mind. Even though she might not be able to read it yet, she would be able to read it as soon as she got her eyesight back, whenever that might be. He would be willing to wait until then.

Helena’s words had been playing in his head over and over again.  
 _‘Will you wait for her? No matter how long it takes?’_ and the answer had always been a definite yes. By now, Oliver knew all too well that no woman could replace Felicity, so he accepted to wait and hope that she might come back to him one day and that he still would be the same man she fell in love with the first time.

 

Oliver had no idea how, but he had successfully managed to avoid any encounter with his father until the wedding day came up. Laurel was nowhere to be seen but Tommy was running around like crazy, trying to manage all the things that Laurel apparently yelled at him. Oliver took pity on his best friend and tried helping him out by getting all guests seated and the bridesmaids ready.

The wedding had been beautiful, Laurel looked stunning and Thea had to fight back tears because of the sweet and lovely vows Tommy and Laurel made to each other. Oliver, being Tommy’s best man, smiled throughout the entire wedding, but his mind couldn’t be farer away. The spot in the front row, next to Thea, was vacant and since Felicity cancelled so shortly before the wedding date, Laurel decided not to change the seating plan once again. So her chair had been left empty.  
Tommy later told Oliver that Laurel secretly hoped Felicity would decide to come to the wedding last minute and she wanted to save her seat, just in case. But Felicity didn’t come, despite the paid plane ticket for her and her friend Caitlin, despite the numerous calls Laurel had made to Felicity, trying to get her to change her mind.   
And while Oliver stared at the empty chair, he realized he could never stop looking for her. Even if she decided she wouldn’t want to be with him anymore, he would at least make it up to her, tell her how sorry he feels for hurting her, for not being honest and upfront with her when she gave him no reason to behave otherwise. He was determined to find her, he just had no idea how he would survive until her found her.

 

Just before Dinner the wedding gifts had been handed out to the newlyweds. When Thea walked up to the microphone, a broad grin on her face and a pink envelope in hand, she gave both Laurel and Tommy a sweet smile before she started speaking to the guests.  
“Since I deem tableware and a Toaster as inappropriate wedding gifts – no offense, uncle Ben, I wanted to find a more unique wedding gift that will make sure you won’t forget this special day for a long time. This is for you guys.” Thea smiled and handed Laurel the pink envelope.

When she took a seat next to Oliver, Laurel looked over to Tommy before she opened the neatly wrapped envelope to read what had been written down in the letter resting inside of it.  
After both read the letter twice, they looked at each other for a moment, kissed sweetly and then got up to hug both Thea and Oliver.  
“Thank you, this is the sweetest gift in the world.” Laurel whispered to Thea when she hugged the young Queen sibling tightly.  
“What does the letter say?” one of the guests suddenly called from behind.

Tommy hugged Oliver tightly and patted him on the shoulder twice before he turned to the remaining wedding guests and grabbed Laurel’s hand.  
“Oliver and Thea,”

“and Felicity.” Thea mumbled to Oliver while Tommy spoke.

“Oliver and Thea have given us a private island at the coast of Spain for two weeks, effectively beginning as soon as our Honeymoon boat trip ends. So I’m sorry, Gloria, but I don’t think we can come over for brunch in two weeks.” he joked and the guests started laughing at that.

 

After the remaining gifts had been handed out, Tommy and Laurel once again made their way to Oliver and Thea, who were standing at the bar, engaged in a light conversation with Moira.  
“Thank you again for that wonderful gift,” Laurel suddenly spoke up. “And I’ve seen Felicity’s signature on the letter as well. If anyone gets to talk to her in the near future, please tell her I loved the present.” Laurel smiled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check out if going to the restroom in a bridal gown really is as hard as everyone keeps telling me.” She laughed and Thea immediately volunteered to help.

As soon as both women were out of sight, Moira turned her attention to Oliver and Tommy.  
“Who is that Felicity Laurel just talked about? If she has been part of that wonderful present my children have prepared, why haven't I met this lovely Lady yet?” Moira asked him with an honest and warm smile on her face but all Tommy could do was staring at his best friend, half surprised that Oliver hadn’t introduced her to the Queen Family, half unsure on what to reply. When Moira saw the looks between the two men and turned her attention to Oliver, he took a deep breath before he spoke.

“Felicity is my girlfriend – WAS my girlfriend. And I really don’t want to talk about it now, Mom.”  
Moira gave him a warm smile and tilted her head slightly. She knew now was not the time now the place to press the topic, so she just stroked his arm gently and nodded.  
“If you ever want to talk to someone about your life, Oliver, you know where to find me.” she smiled at him and made her way over to Robert sitting at the Dinner table.

 

“You haven’t told Moira about Felicity?” Tommy suddenly asked him.

Oliver shrugged. It wasn’t his decision. “She didn’t feel comfortable meeting my parents yet. With her blindness and everything, I dunno… I guess she was intimidated after what she heard about my father and how skittish Mom can be from time to time. And I can’t blame her… even I don’t feel comfortable being around them all the time. And they’re my parents, after all.”

Tommy just laughed lightly and watched Thea and Laurel return from the Ladies room.  
“Come on buddy, time for some food.” Tommy wrapped an arm around Oliver and pulled him over to the main table.

 

Once Dinner had been served and the Party was in full swing, Oliver ordered himself a Scotch from the Bar and took a seat at a vacant table near the Dance floor. Laurel and Tommy were swaying to the music, wrapped up in each other while others circled around them at a quicker pace. A slight smile crossed his face as he watched his two best friends so in love with each other, when the sound of a chair being moved next to him pulled him out of his thoughts. A quick look to the side and Oliver groaned internally.

“Dad.”

“Son.” It came out more as an accusation than a fatherly statement. “It’s a nice wedding, isn’t it?”

“Mhmm.” Oliver just mumbled into his Scotch tumbler, never sparing his father a glance.

“I must say,” Robert started again, and Oliver knew he couldn’t avoid this conversation. Storming away from his father in the middle of a wedding would cause a scene neither he nor Tommy or Laurel would have liked. So he braced himself for what Robert might be telling him.  
“I’m surprised my EA hasn’t seen you in the office last week. I thought I had made myself pretty clear in our last conversation?”

Oliver took a deep breath before he gave his father a hard look. “I made myself pretty clear as well that I will NOT start to work at your Company. And besides, I don’t care how you decide to spend your money. I never asked for your help, so don’t try and make me repay you for something you clearly did for yourself. And this conversation is over now; this is Tommy’s wedding and I’d rather spend my time with my best friends than having to sit next to the man that’s trying to dictate my life.” Oliver replied in a low and firm voice before he emptied his Scotch, set the glass on the table a little harder than he should have and turned to leave – only to be stopped by his father’s hand at his wrist.

“Don’t you dare touch me, FATHER.” Oliver spat out loudly while he ripped his wrist out of Robert’s grip, causing multiple guests around them to turn their heads in surprise. Just when Robert was about to stand up and get well into his son’s personal space, Tommy suddenly appeared next to Oliver.  
“Hey, why don’t we all come down a bit, gentlemen? Oliver, would you mind helping me at the bar, please?” he mumbled to both men who were wrapped up in a serious staring contest, while several more people caught attention of the scene.  
When Oliver didn’t move and just deadly stared his father in the eyes, hands balled to fists, Tommy started pulling him away from the scene. Laurel distracted the guests by announcing she would be throwing the throwing the bridal bouquet now while Tommy pulled his best friend through the ballroom and into the kitchen area.

 

Oliver let out a loud breath and nervously rubbed his neck as soon as the door closed behind them and he knew they would be alone for a moment.  
“Dude, what happened out there?” Tommy asked him, his voice sounding like a mixture of anger and confusion.  
“I’m sorry buddy, I didn’t want to interrupt your wedding party. It’s just… he’s getting under my skin, Tommy.”

“Yeah, so I did see. What was this about, anyway?”

 

And then Oliver told him everything. About Isabel getting him a contract with the Coast City Falcons, about the Falcons getting rid of their current Quarterback so Oliver could take the place, and about him breaking the contract and being threatened of being exposed to the Media about everything after he broke up with Isabel. About Isabel contacting Robert without his knowledge and Robert paying the 5 Million Dollar contractual penalty behind his back. About the fight at the Gala with his father that led to everything going to shit with Felicity, and about Robert trying to force him into the Company and end his Football-career.

And Tommy just listened to everything Oliver told him. After 5 minutes without a word from him, Oliver looked at his best friend with defeat and sadness.  
“My life has been a crazy mess even before Felicity came into it. But she made it all so much better, so bearable. She had been my rock, never wavered, always supportive, and with her help I was able to improve my situation so fast and easily, it still surprises me every time I think about it. But now that she’s gone and I’m having my father sitting at my neck… I just want to run away like she did, Tommy. Pack my car and just drive away until I don’t have any money left. I just want to run away from all this.” Oliver sighed and let his shoulders slump down.

Tommy studied his best friend for a moment before he spoke up.  
“I don’t know what to say to all of it, I’m not Felicity so I can’t give you the support that she did. But buddy – you can always count on me, no matter what. And we will find Felicity, I’m sure.” Tommy gently padded his best friend on the shoulder before he slowly got up from the kitchen counter they were sitting on. 

“And now let’s go out there; I’m dying to see who caught the bridal bouquet. And I’m sure I heard Laurel say something like _‘dancing with my best friend’_ earlier.” Tommy winked at him and waited for Oliver to get up and follow him out of the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter had been rather short and I'm not 100% satisfied with it, however I needed to get it out to get on to more satisfying Chapters, like the next one. I also promise this has been the last Chapter with almost no Felicity in it (yeah, I hated it, too).


	23. until we meet again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver never stops looking for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the Chapters I am most excited about - that's all I'm going to spoil. :)

**11 months later.**

 

Oliver walked through the streets of downtown Vancouver, enjoying the sunny day and the people walking around. He had never been to this City before, actually he had never been to Canada at all, but he already liked the Country and made a mental note to go there again in the near future and explore the City and the Landscape a little more thoroughly.

But Oliver didn’t come all the way for the landscape or the sunny weather; he came for a complete different reason.  
Which was why he found himself heading deeper into the streets of downtown Vancouver, away from the harbor, walking straight to a small Coffee Shop.

 

He slowly entered it and took in the room. There were some tables to his right side and a small counter to his left with a few Pastries lined up behind a glass case. The Shop was empty except for a Couple chatting in one corner and a young blonde woman concentrated working on her Laptop while a large coffee sat next to it on the table. Behind the counter were two people busy with cleaning the machines and Oliver had to clear his throat slightly before he could take another step forward, moving straight to the counter.

“Felicity Smoak?”  
His voice came out a lot more raspy and thin than he intended to, but as soon as he said that name, the small blonde woman behind the counter quickly turned her head in surprise. “Yes?”

Oliver’s whole world shattered to the ground at that moment. She was even more beautiful than he remembered and he just missed her so much.  
And just at that moment, when she looked up at him for the first time, Felicity’s face changed completely. Her smile vanished, her rosy cheeks turned completely pale, her fingers started to tremble slightly, keeping the dishtowel in a death grip, eyes going wide. She knew who he was.

 

“Oliver.” it came out more as a statement than a question and all Felicity could do was staring at him, for several long moments, unable to move a single muscle in her body. When she realized her eyes became watery, she took a deep breath through her nose and turned away from him, moving her attention to her coworker.  
“Hey Brad, can I take a break for 10 minutes?” she asked him with a slightly raspy voice, trying to sound more steady than she actually felt, completely ignoring Oliver on the other side of the counter, who wasn’t able to move his eyes off her the entire time.

He coworker looked confused for a moment, eyeing Oliver for a second before he turned his attention to Felicity again. “Sure girl, take as much time as you need, it’s not that we have a lot of work right now anyway.” Brad smiled at her and Felicity thankfully took off her apron and tossed it aside before she quickly rounded the counter and stopped in front of Oliver.

 

She didn’t dare to look him in the eyes just yet and only motioned for him to follow her through the back exit of the Shop. As soon as they arrived outside and the door closed behind them, Felicity walked over to the small bench and took a seat, her feet feeling like they wouldn’t be able to carry her any longer. When Oliver stepped into her vision and took a seat next to her, sitting dangerously close, she had to take a deep breath, trying hard to calm her shaking hands.  
“How did you find me?” was the first and only thing she could bring out after a few moments, surprised at herself that she was still able to form a coherent sentence in the current situation.

“I never stopped looking for you.” came from beside her in a tone that held nothing but love and affection for her.  
His voice. The voice that she loved and missed so much.  
Felicity took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to gain some strength again. She could feel his eyes on her, begging for her to look at him and say something. When she slowly turned her head and looked up, the most amazing pair of blue eyes met hers and she suddenly didn’t know what to say.  
Oliver nervously smiled at her and for several long seconds she took in his appearance; the slight scruff on his cheeks that she always loved to run her fingernails through… the mole in the corner of his lip, the dark blonde hair and these eyes… he looked even more stunning in person than on the pictures she had seen of him.  
“Thank you.” he told her with a small smile and ripped Felicity out of her thoughts.

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?” she blushed and looked away, facing the hands in her lap again.

“I missed you so much, Felicity,” Oliver suddenly told her and she had to take another deep breath through her nose. “There hasn’t been a day that I didn’t try to find you, to tell you how sorry I am.”  
He took her hand in his and for a moment, Felicity stopped breathing. “Felicity, please let me – “

“I’m sorry Oliver, I… I can’t…” she stuttered, pulled her hand out of his and folded them in her lap again, trying to slide further away from him to the corner of the small bench. She tried to fight back the tears that started pricking in her eyes again and felt completely overwhelmed by the situation.

Oliver had to take a deep breath as well before he could give it another try.  
“Please don’t shut me out Felicity. Just give me that one chance to explain everything to you; to make you understand how truly sorry I am. If you still decide to live your life without me than I’ll accept that, but please just give me –“

Oliver’s speech was interrupted by a phone that suddenly started ringing.

Felicity jerked back slightly at the sound and Oliver wasn’t sure if she was relieved or annoyed at the interruption. When she pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked the screen, she let out another sigh.  
“Frack.” was the only thing she mumbled before she sniffled her nose, took a deep breath and accepted the call.  
“Hey, honey.”

Oliver froze in shock at these two words. Did he come too late? Did she already have someone else in her life? He tried to make out any sounds from the caller, but other than a male voice he couldn’t hear anything.  
“Yeah, I can do that. I should be home by six. Okay, see you later.” she told the caller and her voice sounded a lot stronger and happier than it sounded when she spoke to him a few seconds before.

 

Just when she ended the call and rasped her voice, unable to look at Oliver sitting next to her, the door to the Shop opened and Felicity’s coworker Brad peeked his head out. Just when Oliver was about to ask the question that he now suddenly feared the most, Brad spoke up.  
“Fee, it’s getting kind of crowded here right now. Could you?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be inside in a minute.” she smiled at him and Oliver suddenly envied Brad because Felicity was able to look at him with that natural, happy smile that he missed for so many months.  
When the door closed again, Felicity turned her attention back to Oliver, looking in his eyes for the second time since they arrived outside.  
“Uhm, I have to…” she nervously pointed to the door with her thumb, “…apparently Brad needs some help.”

Felicity rubbed her wet palms on her Jeans before she slowly got up from the bench. She gave him a small smile and took a step forward when Oliver suddenly stopped her by grabbing her wrist.  
“Felicity,” he spoke up with a thin and broken voice and if she didn’t know it any better, she would have guessed he was almost crying.  
When she looked at their locked hands in shock, he immediately let go of her but the pain and guilt in his eyes were still present.  
“Please.” he begged her and slowly got up from the bench as well, almost towering over her.

Felicity lowered her head and closed her eyes for a few seconds, thinking. When she slowly nodded her head and looked up at him again, Oliver didn’t know what to do. For the first time in his life he was too afraid to do anything, fearing he might ruin the very fragile connection that he just had rebuilt with her.  
“Let’s meet for coffee tomorrow. My shift ends at 2pm and I haven’t anything planned for the rest of the day yet. You can pick me up here.” Felicity gave him a small, but genuine smile. “I really need to go now.” she hesitantly added and took a step back before she could grab the door handle and opened the door.

Oliver silently followed her inside, his head stuffed with too many thoughts and emotions to say anything. Felicity disappeared behind the counter again and started serving the customers when Oliver rounded the counter and headed for the Exit. He looked at her one last time and earned a short hesitant smile from her before she focused on the customers again.

 

As soon as he left the Shop and walked back to his Hotel, he pulled out his phone and started to dial.  
“Yeah?”

“I found her, Tommy. I finally found her.”

 

\-------------------

 

**\--7 months earlier --**

  
_It had been a rainy night in Vancouver and Felicity snuggled deeper into the couch of her small 2-room Apartment, warming her fingers on a hot chocolate._  
 _It had been almost 4 months since she left Starling City and since then, everything happened in a whirlwind. After crashing on Caitlin’s couch for a few days (she couldn’t stand to sleep in the guest room – the room that she had shared with Oliver), crying herself to sleep every night, Felicity soon moved to her mother to Las Vegas, after Caitlin had a hard time keeping Oliver out of the Apartment._

_He desperately tried talking to her multiple times but Felicity couldn’t stand to face him. So she did what every grown woman would do… she hid in Caitlin’s bedroom while her friend tried to convince Oliver to leave. After 3 nights in a row with Oliver at their door, Felicity reluctantly called her Mom.  
Donna Smoak gladly gave shelter to her daughter. And despite their strained relationship in the last months, Felicity really had to cut her mother some slack. Donna never asked about the break-up or the reason for Felicity’s sudden return from Starling City. In fact, Donna didn’t ask any questions at all, she just welcomed her daughter in her small but comfy home in Las Vegas and told her she could stay as long as she wanted to._

_Barry and Caitlin tried to visit as often as possible, but with the long distance to Starling City Barry could only call most of the time; and Caitlin’s work schedule didn’t allow her much free time either. So Felicity spent a lot of time alone at her Mother’s place, thinking about her life and the last 5 months she spent with Oliver. She missed him, there was no denying that, but she also missed Thea, Tommy and Laurel. And every time she thought about Laurel and Tommy, she felt bad for leaving them behind so shortly before their wedding.  
Felicity had called Laurel a few days after she had left Starling City, assuring her she was fine while Laurel was trying to convince her to come to their wedding. Tommy even offered to pay for the flight tickets and told her she could gladly bring her friend, so she wouldn’t have to come without company. And as much as Felicity would have loved to accept, she couldn’t bear the thought being near Oliver so soon again. Laurel understood, but it made her sad nonetheless._

_As soon as her eyesight had improved to the point that Felicity could finally walk around on her own again and actually see the faces she was talking to, her mood got a lot better. Donna always had been a silent companion to Felicity’s appointments, always trying to support her daughter and help her.  
After the encounter at the LA Doctor several months ago and the fallout with her Felicity after that, Donna must have considered a different route – and Felicity really appreciated that. It gave the connection between her and her mom new strength, and considering her small number of friends Felicity had left in her life, she was very glad for that._

_When one of her High School friends got in touch with her via Facebook a few weeks later and invited her to Vancouver after several long conversations through eMail and Facetime, Felicity happily agreed to fly to Canada and visit her old school friend._  
_It took Felicity only 5 days to completely and utterly fall in love with the City. So much that she decided to move there. Staying at her mother’s place wasn’t an option for much longer anyways and since Caitlin convinced her friend that she’d need a complete fresh restart, Felicity decided to see where life would take her. Apparently it only needed one visit to Vancouver to find out._  
 _Right after her visit, she started packing everything up. Her friend helped her finding a nice little Apartment downtown and Felicity started working at a small Coffee Shop around the corner. Life had been treating her well again and even though she didn’t earn a fortune, she was able to pay her bills and go out for some Drinks from time to time. She actually enjoyed the simple life and never in all the months regretted moving there._

_At a snowy, freezing evening, Felicity snuggled deeper into her small couch, warming her fingers on a cup of hot chocolate, letting her thoughts wander around like they did so often when she spent the evening at home alone.  
She pulled out her phone and tried calling Caitlin, but since her best friend and Ronnie became ‘all serious’, time to talk on the phone had become sparse. Felicity didn’t complain at all – in fact, she was happy her best friend had finally found someone that matched her so well._

_When Caitlin didn’t pick up the phone, Felicity decided to send her a quick text and wish her a lovely holiday. It was Thanksgiving, after all.  
Once she sent the text, she casually started scrolling through her phone, not paying close attention to anything in particular, until she saw it – a picture she didn’t recognize._

_When she clicked on the thumbnail and the picture appeared on her screen in full size, Felicity froze in shock._

_It was a picture of herself, standing on a wedding platform, dressed in an absolutely stunning, floor length pale blue bridesmaid dress. She was smiling sheepishly with her sunshades perched on her nose and Felicity couldn’t take her eyes off the picture.  
She had completely forgotten about that, even though she was the one that shoved the phone in Laurel’s hands that day._

_Laurel._

_“I wonder how her wedding dress looked like…” she suddenly thought to herself and made a mental note to check the tabloids for that later._

_When she swiped over the screen to see if Laurel might have taken more pictures, she frowned slightly. Even though she didn’t want to wear that dress back in the bridal shop, she now had to admit that Laurel had a point. The dress looked absolutely incredible on her and Felicity would have loved to see more photos of it.  
She closed the picture and scrolled further through her Albums. She laughed at some pics that Caitlin had taken of the two when they were re-decorating her living room a few months ago and both women were completely covered in pastel green paint. Felicity remembered that day very well. Caitlin had called a few days prior, asking her friend if she could help her re-design her Apartment. It was Felicity’s first return to Los Angeles since she moved to Vancouver and she loved every minute of that weekend with her best friend._

_When she scrolled further, her thoughts still with Caitlin and the funny weekend, she almost missed a picture she hadn’t seen yet. At first she thought Caitlin had taken it by surprise at some point but when she opened it and the picture appeared on her screen in full size, Felicity froze in complete and utter shock. Her mug slipped through her fingers and shattered to the ground and Felicity couldn’t move, couldn’t think for several long moments. The hand that held the mug just seconds before flew to her mouth, shaking, tears pricking in her eyes while she stared at the picture on her phone._

_The picture showed the most handsome man she had ever seen, dressed in a tux that made him look like a Prince, blue eyes and a loving smile staring right into the Camera that he apparently held in front of him to take the picture. And with the other hand, he held her – Felicity, her eyes closed, hands buried in the inside of his jacket, her cheek resting just above his heart, a content and loving smile on her face and her eyes closed.  
“Oh my god,” she whispered to herself when the hand holding her phone suddenly started to shake. Uncontrollable sobs left her mouth and not even the fingers covering her lips could hold them back._

_It was the last picture of them together. The last picture before everything went to hell. Felicity had no idea Oliver had taken it but she remembered that day all too well. The heated argument they had about the Gala and everything that happened after it. If she wouldn’t have been so stubborn and would have just accompanied him for the night, would they still be together? That question followed her for several months and she never had an accurate answer to it._

_After wiping the tears from her cheeks, Felicity set the phone on her coffee table and got up from the couch. She cleaned up the mess the broken coffee mug made on her floor and quickly got herself a new cup of hot chocolate. When she settled on the couch again, pulling the blanket over her legs, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table and opened the picture again._  
_She stared at it for several more minutes, taking in the affectionate smile covering Oliver’s face and the happiness that spread on her cheeks and all feelings that she kept hidden for more than 4 months boiled to the surface._  
 _“God, what have I done?” she whispered to herself through tears. “I am such an idiot!”_

_Scrolling further through her Albums Felicity found several more pictures she had never seen of. Pictures taken from a weird angle that she assumed must have been taken by her in Marbella. Pictures of her with various animals at the Marbella Zoo – and again she found herself staring at them. She had no idea Oliver had taken these pics of her and the smile that covered her face on almost every picture made her remember the wonderful time she had with him all these months ago. She had to smile at the picture of her and the giraffe scrubbing his face on her hand but the more pictures she saw of Oliver and her together, the more tears flowed down her face._

_She tried calling Caitlin and tell her what she found on the phone, but since it was already late in the evening, she didn’t want to disturb her friend and sent her a text message instead, asking her to give a call back as soon as she’d find the time._

_Felicity found herself crying almost the entire night. It had been the first time she cried so much since she ran away from Oliver all these months ago._  
_After 2 hours of trying to fall asleep, she grabbed her Tablet and started googling Oliver._  
 _After 2 hours of not trying to, her curiosity got ahold of her and she couldn’t stop it any longer. She found pictures of him at various Events and Galas, current and older ones. She found pictures of him and the Starling Archers, grinning proudly into the camera after another big win. She also found pictures of him, with different women by his side. Most of the time it was a petite brunette by his side and Felicity immediately remembered Thea’s quirky and lively character._

_She found herself crouched up on her couch in the living room the next morning with what seemed to be her 10th cup of coffee already. The last night she didn’t get one hour of sleep. Thank god it was Sunday. After looking through hundreds of pictures of Oliver and Thea, she started looking for Laurel and Tommy. There have been wedding pictures and Felicity loved the incredibly beautiful dress Laurel wore. Tommy was quite a handsome man, too, she couldn’t deny that. After seeing a picture of Tommy and Oliver together, she immediately thought about all the trouble these two must have caused in their younger years. It made her smile for a moment._

_If Felicity thought about it later, she probably would have pinned it on the lack of sleep, but after fidgeting with her phone for almost 3 hours, grabbing it, scrolling through her contacts only to put it down on the counter again every time, she finally dialed the number she had been trying to call all day now._  
_After the 3rd ring the caller picked up._  
 _“Hello?”_

_For a moment she hated that she didn’t prepare a good sentence to begin the call with.  
“Uhm hey, Tommy.” she hesitantly replied. It felt weird hearing his voice, but she also realized how much she missed it._

_“I’m sorry, who is this?”_

_Oh, he didn’t remember her voice. Well, what should she expect? It has been 4 months since she left and they hadn’t spoken a word ever since. She never explained him why she left, so maybe he was even still pissed at her? She got nervous.  
“Uhm… it’s Felicity.”_

_Silence._

_For several long moments she didn’t know if he was still on the line or if he had hung up already.  
“Felicity? Wow, hi! I didn’t expect to ever hear from you again, to be honest. How are you doing?”_

_Well, so far so good. At least he didn’t cut her off or yell at her.  
“Oh I’m doing okay, I guess. My eyesight is improving a lot, I’m actually able to see again.”_

_“Oh that’s great to hear! You left so suddenly, I was thinking about you quite often in the past and wondered how you were doing. Have you talked to Oliver yet?”_

_“Uh, no… I haven’t. And please don’t tell him I called you, I’m… it’s… I’m scared to call him.” She took a deep breath before she could continue to speak “How… how is he?”_

_“He manages, I’d say. We talk almost every day but I don’t see him that often any more. He still misses you like crazy, you know?” Tommy told her with a soft, warm tone that made her eyes watery._

_“How can he miss me after what I did to him?” she almost whispered, not quite believing what Tommy was telling her._

_“He loved you. Despite everything that happened he still does, Felicity.”_

_She couldn’t reply to that. And what should she have said, anyway? That she made a huge mistake running away, not trusting him to be faithful? That she made a huge mistake, being so unforgiving about him not telling her what happened right at the first moment he could have? All the months she had spent away from him, in the darkness, Felicity realized that she probably wouldn’t have acted any different than Oliver._

_‘You can’t expect a person to treat you with standards that you can’t fulfill yourself.’ her mother had always told her, and that couldn’t be any more the truth. She basically expected Oliver to run to her and tell her every tiny bit that happened, not even giving him a day to process the last day and to find the right words and best time to approach her. At least that’s what she would have done._

_She knew she had made a mistake running away on him and cutting all ties with him so drastically and normally she would have expected him to just forget about her and move on. And she was fine with that. She had accepted it a while ago. It was her own doing, over all. But after what Tommy just told her, she had no idea what to think any more, except she was scared. Scared to call the man she still loved so deeply she thought about him every day and night.  
“How are Laurel and you doing?” she quickly changed the topic and tried to focus her attention and the conversation as far away from Oliver as she could._

_“Oh, we’re doing great. You missed a hell of a wedding! Oh, and thank you for that amazing wedding gift, by the way. We had a blast on that island!” Tommy replied with a smile._

_The wedding gift. She had completely forgotten about that. After Thea handed her a card to put her signature on and told her she’d be taking care of everything else, it went completely out of Felicity’s mind. “Oh you’re welcome. It was actually Thea’s idea, we were just helping.”_

_“Hey, I sadly need to cut you off as I’m on my way into a Meeting. But would you like to talk again later?” Tommy asked but Felicity wasn’t so sure she could have another conversation like that in the near future, especially when Tommy had more time to ask more thorough questions or tell her more about Oliver. She really couldn’t handle that._

_“I, uh… actually I just wanted to call and say_ Hi _, see how you are doing.” Felicity lied.  
Truth was, she had no idea why she had called Tommy. He wasn’t the first person that came to her mind when she picked up the phone, but calling Oliver was totally out of the question, so was calling Thea. It wasn’t that Felicity didn’t  want to call either of them, but calling Oliver would have meant actually talking to him and Felicity knew she couldn’t bring out a word as soon as she heard his voice again for the first time. As for Thea she had to admit, she really missed the younger Queen, but she knew for a fact that Thea wouldn’t be able to hide the call from her brother and she didn’t want to hurt Oliver by hearing Felicity had called his little sister instead of him. So Tommy was pretty much her only option, but since they had become quite close friends during the time she spent in Starling City, calling him didn’t feel like an ‘only option’ call but more of a ‘I miss him too’._

_“Oh, okay.” Tommy sounded surprised and even a little sad after her statement.  
“Promise to visit any time you’re back in Starling City? Laurel really misses you and I would love to see that pretty face of yours again, too.” Tommy offered and made Felicity actually smile for a moment._

_“Yeah, I can do that. But please, Tommy… don’t tell Oliver I called, okay? I don’t want t upset him and I really need to find the strength first before I could call him.”_

_“Yeah, I promise. Even though I will tell you that he would love to hear your voice, trust me.” Tommy smiled. “I really hate to cut you off after not hearing from you in months, but my EA is pointing at her watch and steering in my direction for several minutes now… I think she might have a stroke if I don’t walk over there soon.” Tommy joked and made Felicity laugh. “It was very nice talking to you, Felicity. I missed your voice. Don’t be a stranger for so long any more, promise?”_

_“Promised.” she smiled slightly and said her goodbye to Tommy._

_She never called him again._

_After the conversation, she sat on her couch in the quiet living room for several hours, staring into the room, lost in thought._  
_Why she called Tommy in the first place? She still had no idea. The lack of sleep, combined with the amounts of coffee she had downed during the night and the many, many pictures and articles she had read about the Queens and Merlyns, she probably wasn’t thinking straight any more._  
 _The conversation hadn’t been more than 5 minutes and just the few information Tommy had told her about Oliver were enough for her to break into another round of silent cries. And she was so done crying._

 _Caitlin hadn’t called until late in the evening and pulled Felicity out of her dreams after she apparently fell asleep on the couch, crying.  
‘_ You need to clear your head, honey. You need a fresh restart or you’re never going to be happy again. No matter where you live.’ _her best friend had told her on the phone._

_And Caitlin was right._

_Felicity needed a fresh start, needed to let go of all the memories and imaginary scenarios and ‘_ what if’s’ _she played in her head over and over again. She needed to reboot her system and get out on the street again, starting to live a life that was more than just work and spending time in her Apartment alone. She needed a fresh cut, not only to her hair._

_She printed out only one photo from all the pictures Oliver had taken with her phone, before she shut it off and stored it away in her drawer. She wasn’t using her old number that much anymore, anyway.  
The photo of her and the giraffe rubbing his head on her hand while she happily laughed had been framed and decorated her living room shelf along with some books she loved to read._

_2 months later Eddie Thawne asked her out after work. She accepted, and they spent the whole afternoon talking about TV Shows and Vancouver and the best Donut Shop in town. She felt herself thinking about Oliver a few times that day but trusted herself the thoughts about him would vanish, soon. And they did. Not fully, but she didn’t think about him constantly any more._

_A few weeks after that, Caitlin met Eddie in Vancouver while she was on a visit. She told Felicity he was a good guy and that she was happy Felicity found such a lovely man again. Felicity just nodded, a small piece of her heart and mind had to think of Oliver while she listened to Caitlin say that._

_Things started to get serious between them shortly after that. Felicity spent a lot of time at Eddie’s place and when she got offered a job at a lovely little Coffee Shop near his Apartment, she immediately accepted.  
Moving in with Eddie had always been on the table. He had suggested it a few times since Felicity spent almost all her time at his place anyway, but she never felt fully comfortable moving in with him. So she always told him her place wasn’t that expensive and she loved having it and couldn’t let go if it just yet. It was a lie both her and Eddie believed._

_Her job was the thing Felicity loved the most about her new life in Vancouver, actually. It was so stark different from the Jobs she had done in Los Angeles and far from what everyone expected her to do as a job when they read her resume, but Felicity just loved it. The smell of fresh coffee all day, the lovely customers, the beautiful little work place near the harbor. To her, the job was pretty much perfect and even though she didn’t earn a fortune from it, she could at least pay her expenses and put a bit aside for the future. And with every new day, she felt that she thought about and missed Oliver a little less.  
Sometimes it made her sad, how things had turned out. Maybe she could have stayed friends with Oliver? Or at least with Tommy, Laurel and Thea. But then again, staying in touch with them would have never given her the chance to get a fresh restart, to figure out her place in life again._

_Felicity went out again. She smiled again. She started dating again and she found a wonderful young man that adored her. But she also missed Oliver. And after a while, she accepted the fact that he probably never would be completely gone from her mind._

 

\-------------------

 

The moment Felicity entered her Apartment and closed the door behind her, she broke down. After Oliver had left the Coffee Shop, she had tried to hold herself together badly, tried not to sound affected or distracted or maybe even panicked. But truth was, there weren’t even enough adjectives to describe what was going on inside her.  
Oliver had found her. He had come to her to talk. And they had talked, even though she barely spoke a word to him. And tomorrow they would talk again.

She had no idea how she would survive the night, or the work shift the next morning. Or what she should tell Eddie. The way she felt and looked there was no way she could meet him now. He would ask questions she couldn’t answer.  
‘Staying at home tonight it is, then.’ she thought to herself. Thank god she still kept the Apartment and hadn’t decided to move in with Eddie yet.

After sniffing her nose and taking a deep breath, she started pacing the Apartment frantically, trying to clear her mind and forming a lie she could tell Eddie so he wouldn’t get suspicious and check on her. Telling him she ate something bad would be a terrible idea. He would probably come over to try and comfort her. Telling him a family member or friend got sick or had passed away was also out of the picture. Lying about a death was _‘bad bad juju’_ her grams had always told her and again, Eddie would come over and try and comfort her. So she settled with the good old always-working lie.  
“Hey honey. I need to cancel our Dinner tonight. I’m having a terrible migraine that started to form in the afternoon. I’ll just pop a pill and head to bed. I hope you’re not mad with me?"

“Oh sure, sweetie. Are you sure you’re going to be fine? Want me to come over to your place?”

“No it’s okay, really. I’ll just sleep it off so I’ll be fit for my shift tomorrow morning.” she casually replied, hoping Eddie would buy it.

“Alright sweetie, but let me know if you need anything, okay? I promise to stop by at the Shop tomorrow before I’ll head out for the Congress so we at least get to see each other. 2 days without you are going to be hard enough as it is, I at least want to get a proper good bye.” he told her and Felicity was glad he bought her lie and decided not to check on her that night. She needed the time alone to compose herself, get her thoughts straight and figure out a plan on how to survive the morning until she would meet Oliver.


	24. conversations in Vancouver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually didn't plan on posting this Chapter so soon but after my last Chapter caused such a huge amount of emotions, especially negative ones (never would I have guessed that in my wildest dreams!) about Felicity not deserving Oliver any more, I figured I should post the next Chapter so quickly after the last one. Maybe it helps explaining Felicity's actions a bit. :)
> 
> Also, I would like to thank you for all your Comments! It's not that I don't appreciate them and I always try to consider suggestions as good as I can.  
> What I don't need, however, are Comments that are nothing but hateful bashing towards my Story. This is my very first Fanfiction at all, I have never written anything like this before. Plus, it's my first major Story in a foreign language.  
> This Story is like my Baby, which is why I'm probably a bit more sensitive about Comments than I should be. So please have pity with me! :D

Felicity felt like a nervous wreck almost the entire morning at work. Her coworker took pity on her, luckily, after she told him she hadn’t slept well last night after a terrible migraine. Thanks to her, that lie worked almost all the time.

Around 11, Eddie came over for a quick visit before he had to leave for the Congress out of town. They didn’t have much time to spend together though since the Shop had been cramped with customers at that moment. So Eddie just settled for a quick hug and kiss before he left again, promising to call Felicity as soon as he found time.  
Felicity couldn’t focus on that, though. Her mind was already racing about spending the afternoon with Oliver, having to sit down and talk to him. Like, really talk to him, for the first time in almost a year.

 

Checking her watch became an almost hourly habit until finally she could end her shift at 2pm and get ready to meet him. He hadn’t been there when she finished work, even though she almost expected him to be early. But since it gave her time to freshen up a bit and change into fresh clothes, she actually took the time. When she left the back room 15 minutes later, she immediately spotted him.

He occupied a small table in the corner, his shoulders looking far too big for the small booth. He scanned the entire Shop and as soon as she stepped around the counter, he stood up and gave her a hesitant smile. Felicity said her goodbyes to her coworkers before she turned around and started walking over to him.

Should she hug him? She would have loved to, but felt too nervous about it. After not seeing each other for almost a year they weren’t exactly on hug-terms again, over all. She settled with a small smile and a wave when they closed the distance to each other.  
“Hey.” she smiled at him.

“Hey,” he replied with an even brighter smile. “Want to get out of here?”

Felicity just nodded and followed him out of the Shop. She had no idea where to go to or what to do, so she was happy Oliver took the lead and started walking through the streets. She easily fell into step next to him while they walked towards the harbor and she could feel him looking over to her from time to time, but she couldn’t look back yet. Her heart was still beating like crazy about the fact that Oliver was walking next to her after almost one year of being separated from each other. The silence between them while they were walking, however, wasn’t a relaxed one. She felt like she wanted to say something and Oliver probably felt the same. She just had no idea what to say.  
When she wanted to bring up some casual small talk about the weather just to break the silence, Oliver beat her to it.  
“You look beautiful, Felicity.”

She couldn’t say anything to that, only blush and smile slightly. After all these months he could still make her smile so easily.

 

When Oliver motioned to a bench at the Park, facing the harbor, Felicity just nodded and let him lead the way. They both sat down and stared at the water for a while, keeping a respectable distance between them on the bench, neither of them speaking a word.

It felt weird to Felicity, she enjoyed the moment of silence with Oliver being so close to her again, but on the other hand she felt nervous because she knew they had to talk, and Oliver would probably have a ton of questions that she didn’t like to answer. But deep down she had always hoped for that one chance to explain herself to Oliver, to explain why she ran away and to tell him how truly sorry she was for everything. And when Oliver suddenly walked into her life again and asked for that chance to talk, she knew she had to accept it, even if talking could possibly mean she would never see him again after that.

 

Oliver turned his attention to her while she kept staring out over the harbor, seemingly deep in thoughts.  
"So... You have a boyfriend?" Oliver suddenly started the conversation, not able to look away from her. He wanted to see her reaction; he wanted to see if he still had a chance with her.  
To say Felicity was surprised was an gross understatement. Her head whipped around in shock that THAT had been Oliver’s first question. She moved around on the bench uncomfortably. She knew he would ask something like this since he heard the phone call the other day, she just had no idea how much it would hurt hearing him say it.

"I uh... Eddie is a good guy." was all she could bring out before she lowered her head again and watched her trembling fingers resting in her lap.

"Do you love him?"

Her head shot up at that again, her eyes looking straight into his. What should she reply to that? Should she lie to Oliver and tell him everything was great between Eddie and her? That wasn't what Oliver deserved to hear, after looking for her for all these months. And it wasn’t the truth either.  
"I... It's complicated." she just stammered before looking down again and Oliver just nodded but didn't reply.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Just a few weeks. He was a regular customer at my old workplace and after he wanted to ask me out a couple of times, Caitlin told me I had to agree at some point to be able to move on with my life. So I did." she half shrugged and Oliver listened very closely to every word she said before he replied.

"So you needed him to force yourself to forget about us." It came out more as a statement and not a question but Felicity realized that Oliver was speaking the truth. Would she have moved on by herself? Would she have decided to forget about Oliver by herself? Probably not.  
Dating Eddie felt good, she couldn't deny that. He was attentive, caring and nice to her. But Felicity also felt in the early stages of their relationship that she can't push away some thoughts and feelings for Oliver, even with a new man in her life. Or especially because of a new man in her life. She had no idea. So at some point she just accepted the feelings and started to live with them without telling Eddie.  
They hadn't spent a night together yet because of that, or shared a bed in general, for that matter. Felicity never could bring it to herself that the first guy she'd get really intimate with since she got her eyesight back would be someone else than Oliver, even if it made no sense whatsoever after the was she ended things with him.  
So every time Eddie and her got close she backed away, but never told Eddie anything. He always just told her he wouldn't mind to wait until she was ready, but Felicity was too scared to tell him she would probably never be ready for that next step in their relationship. That would have raised questions Felicity wouldn’t have wanted to discuss with Eddie. So she kept her mouth shut and just lived in the relationship as good as she could.

"Hey," a warm hand on hers and his gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "You were stuck in your head for a minute."

She smiled slightly at that. "Yeah, a lot of going on up here." she told him while gesturing around her head with her hand.

 

After smiling at each other for a short moment, Felicity cleared her throat and looked down, trying to find the right words to say to him. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.  
Maybe this was her only chance she would get to explain herself and she was sure not to mess this up.  
"Oliver, I... I really need to say this, so please let me get this out because I don’t know if I could say it again.”  
Oliver just nodded at her with a small smile and after another deep breath she continued.  
“What I did last year, running away so suddenly, I mean... I was a complete idiot, and I'm so, so sorry, Oliver. I was scared and confused and everything that happened reminded me of a bad relationship I had in College and I was so scared I would get hurt by you, it blinded me from thinking straight… and I just ran. It felt like the only thing I could do at that time, to get my thoughts straight and process everything, being away from everything for a moment. And for a few weeks it really helped me. I calmed down, had time to think about everything, about you, about our relationship and I actually planned to come back to you. I figured maybe you wouldn’t take me back, but I at least wanted to explain myself. But then I realized how big of a fool I was for not trusting you the one moment I should have trusted you the most. And then it somehow felt as if I had hit the point of no return. I wanted to come back to you, believe me Oliver, I wanted it so badly. But after a while I got scared and wondered if you had moved on already. I mean, I wouldn't have blamed you. I didn't show you trust at a tough moment in our relationship but instead I just ran away on you. So why should you wait for me to return? I'm not worth of your love, Oliver, and I have accepted that a while ago. That's why I never had the guts to call you or get in touch with you. I was so scared to come to Starling City and see you in the arms of a different woman, knowing I was the one who ruined the relationship between us. You know, the hardest thing is seeing someone you love, love someone else. And I was just so scared to possibly see you love someone else that it froze me. I was so scared that if I’d call you, you would yell at me or maybe just hang up on me or something and only thinking about it hurt me so much, I just couldn't -" she sobbed and had to stop for a moment to get her voice back.

"Felicity," Oliver whispered and suddenly leaned over to her, grabbed her arms and pulled her into a strong hug. He pressed her to his chest so tightly he was probably hurting her, but he couldn't let go. Not after all these months. Not after what she just told him.  
After going stiff for a few seconds he could feel her muscles relax before she wrapped her arms around his chest tightly as well. She sobbed into his shirt and herself be held by Oliver.

She had no idea how long she sobbed and cried in his arms, continuously whispering “I’m so sorry, Oliver” into his shirt, before he slowly loosened his arms around her and she reluctantly let go of him, as well.

 

She turned away from him and wiped her nose and face with a tissue before she faced him again. When she looked up at him, trying to see any reaction to what she just told him, she could look straight into his eyes for the first time. They were the softest, brightest blue color, and the slight raccoon eyes he sported, apparently from the lack of sleep, only made the color pop out even more.

“You are not an idiot, Felicity and you are not unworthy of my love.” he suddenly spoke up, never breaking eye contact with her. “You made a mistake – we both did – and it freaked you out so much you ran away. I should have never expected you to be comfortable with me being in the public this much in the first place. I know this can be hard for some people.” he smiled at her and took her hand in his warm palms, resting them between them on the bench. “But why did you never at least give me a call after I had Helena sent you the signed confession of Amanda?”

Right after he said it, Felicity’s eyebrows shot up in confusion.  
“What?”

Oliver could see she had no idea what he was talking about.  
“I took Amanda to Helena’s office after I found her and couldn’t reach you. I made her confess she was lying to her friends about us and since I couldn’t get you on the phone, I took Amanda to Fall City and paid Helena a visit. We set up a letter of confirmation, having Amanda legally confess about her lies and another one stating that if she’d get caught telling another lie about me or any of my family members, she’d have to pay a hefty fine. Helena promised me to get copies of each of them to the address she still had from you. Didn’t you receive them?” he asked her with a confused tone.

 

Felicity had to think about this for a moment. She knew Helena always sent the stuff Felicity received from her to Caitlin’s address since Felicity stayed there for quite a while during the last 2 years.  
“Well yes, Caitlin told me I received an envelope from Helena last year, shortly before I left to my Mom’s place. But since Helena said she would forward me a copy of the conversation log about your contract with the Coast City Falcons, I figured it would be that letter, so I never had Caitlin open it and read it to me since I didn’t want you to be exposed to her. I just told her to put it in my luggage and forgot about it rather quickly, to be honest.” she frowned. “I never expected anything else from Helena, or else I would have had Caitlin check it for me. I’m sorry Oliver, I had no idea that – “

“Hey, it’s okay. I was just wondering why I never heard from you after the letters had been sent. It was basically my last straw to get through to you.” he told her with a sad smile.

“I think I still have it. The envelope, I mean. I never took them out of my luggage when I moved in with my Mom and I’m pretty sure I left them in the bags when I moved here. I will definitely check on that later.” she smiled slightly.

 

“Why Vancouver? I mean, it’s a beautiful city, but why Vancouver, exactly?” Oliver suddenly asked and looked around the Park and harbor they were currently sitting at.

Felicity smiled slightly at that.  
“I visited an old school friend of mine and immediately fell in love with the City. And since living with my Mom for longer than I already did was totally out of the question, I decided to give it a try and move here. My friend got me a lovely little Apartment and I even found a job here quickly. It seemed like a good chance at a new life, so I took it.”

“Are you happy?” he asked her with a serious tone that made her look up to him again.

Felicity thought about her reply for a moment.  
“My life is good here. I like my job, the city is lovely, and I even made a few new friends.”

“Yeah, but are you _happy_ , Felicity?”

She stared at him for a few moments before she lowered her head, looked down into her lap, and didn’t reply.  
She took a deep breath and looked up at him again, forcing a small smile.  
“Hey, I haven’t eaten anything all day. Would you like to have lunch? I mean… if you still want to talk to me, of course.”

Oliver laughed slightly at that. “I came here to talk to you Felicity, so of course I’d like to have lunch with you!” he smiled at her.

 

Felicity got up from the bench and suddenly turned around to face Oliver again.  
“How can you still look at me the way you do, after everything I’ve done? I’ve ruined our relationship, I left without an explanation, I never called or sent a text. And now you’re standing here with me, smiling at me with that gorgeous smile of yours after finding out I’m in a relationship. How can you do that?” she asked him, slightly out of breath.

Oliver kept smiling at her all the time she spoke.  
“I just want you to be happy. And I’m just happy I finally found you.”

Felicity stared at him for a moment, letting his words sink in before she let her bag drop to the ground and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She held onto him as if her life depended on it and Oliver let her. He looked down at her for a moment before he buried his nose in her hair.  
“I finally found you.” he whispered into her hair over and over again.

 

Felicity took him to a small Diner near her place. She loved the food there and the owners had a daughter living in Los Angeles, so she immediately felt a connection to them. Whenever she didn’t have the time to cook she would go there and eat her favorite Thai Curry. The place felt cozy and inviting but still gave enough privacy if needed for a private conversation. So Felicity didn’t have to think twice about taking Oliver there.

When they entered the Diner though, she stopped short for a moment. The place had been completely crowded without a single free table in sight. She grabbed Oliver’s hand and made her way through the place to the counter where Rajib, the owner, already waved at her with a smile.  
“Hey Rajib, any chance to get us a table for two?”

“I’m sorry Felicity, but there was an unannounced group of 20 people coming in half an hour ago and I don’t know when they’ll leave again. Probably not within the next hour.” he apologized.   
“But I could squeeze in two take outs for you, no problem.” he winked at her with a smile.  
Felicity thought about that for a moment before she turned to Oliver who stood closely behind her.  
“Change of plans… Dinner at my place? I mean… we could go back to that bench as well…” she rambled and Oliver stopped her with a slight squeeze of her hand.

“That sounds perfect, Felicity. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”

She gave him a slight smile and nodded before turning her attention to Rajib again.  
Both made their orders and after having an almost cheesy fight about who would pay for the order, Oliver threw a 20 over the counter with a grin in her direction while Felicity glared at him angrily and grabbed the bag with their food containers.

 

The walk to her Apartment had been a short one and Felicity showed Oliver a few of her favorite Shops and Stores. When they rounded a corner and Felicity stopped in front of a small building, she looked over to Oliver and gave him a nervous smile before gesturing to the stairs.  
“Well, that’s where I live.” She said before taking the few steps up into the building.

When they entered her Apartment, Oliver took his time looking around. It was a small 2 room Apartment with natural brick walls, a small kitchen and two doors leading to the bathroom and bedroom. Felicity threw her coat over the couch before she kicked off her Heels and made her way to the kitchen to grab some forks. When she returned, she found Oliver standing in her living room, studying her bookshelf.  
“I remember that picture.” he told her with his back to her.

Felicity smiled. “Of course you do, you took it.”

“That was a wonderful day.”

“Yeah, that it was.” Felicity mumbled, standing in the living room with her two forks, thinking about the day Oliver took her to the Marbella Zoo.

When her stomach made a loud grumbling sound, Oliver turned around and looked at her stomach with wide eyes.  
“I know that sound… heard it for the first time in Marbella. I think it’s a clear sign not to leave your stomach waiting.” Oliver joked when he walked over to her, grabbed a fork from her hands and took a seat on the couch in front of the food containers.

They ate in silence, mostly. Felicity was deep in thoughts and Oliver kept his eyes trained on the woman sitting in front of him on the carpet. She looked so beautiful and confident in her movements that Oliver couldn’t look away. He had never seen her move around so gracefully, and he loved it already.  
“Shouldn’t I be the one staring at you?” Felicity asked him, never looking up from the container she was moving the fork around in. When she saw Oliver stop moving for a moment, she smiled slightly.  
“I mean, since I have never really met you in person, actually. I’ve only seen pictures of you until now.” she shrugged with a smile. “So normally, I should be the one staring at your face the entire time.”

“Feel free to stare at me whenever you want.” Oliver replied with a grin and gestured down his body with his hand. “I just hope I don’t disappoint.”

‘Never.’ Felicity thought to herself, but after seeing Oliver’s wide smile, she probably had thought that out aloud, again.

 

After Dinner, Oliver asked her about her eyesight and how the progress had went over all these months. She loved that he was genuinely interested in her, and not just wanted to talk about their break-up. It gave her confidence for later parts of the conversation that wouldn’t be as relaxed and casual as the current topic.

Felicity told him about Ronnie and Caitlin and that she even came to terms with her Mom. She told him about living with her mother for a while and how it felt like being 15 all over again when her mother did the laundry for her and made her sandwiches for breakfast. They talked for almost 2 hours when suddenly her phone went off. She immediately grabbed it off the table and saw Eddie’s name on the screen. Her face went completely pale and she looked up at Oliver, completely unsure on what to do.

“Go on, take it.” he told her with a small smile. “We have enough time to talk.”

Felicity nodded and accepted the call. She decided about slipping off into the kitchen for a moment, or maybe the bedroom, but since Oliver assured her he was okay with it, she decided to stay on the couch. It didn’t help with her stiffness, though. Eddie just called to let her know he arrived safely and would be back soon. Felicity was short on words though and just told him to come back soon. And technically, it wasn’t a lie. She had some things on her mind she needed to tell Eddie, and she couldn’t do that on the phone. Especially not with Eddie being out of town and Oliver sitting next to her on the couch. They ended the call after a few minutes and Felicity put the phone back on the coffee table with a sigh, fidgeting with her pink bumper case for a few moments while she composed her thoughts before she gave Oliver a quick look and started to speak with a low voice.

“I know you probably think I’m a terrible person with a terrible character for starting a relationship with Eddie only to forget about you, Oliver. I didn’t plan all this, it’s never how I wanted any of us to end up. I know it’s not fair to Eddie and it’s certainly not fair to you. I just… I don’t want you to think I’m a terrible person.” she sobbed slightly and Oliver immediately closed the distance between them and sat next to her on the couch.

“Hey,” he took her face in his palms and lifted her head up so she had to face him. “I don’t think you are a terrible person, Felicity. I admit it hurt coming here to find you and the first thing I hear is you’re in a new relationship. And I’m surely not in the right position to give you any advice regarding this. But I do know one thing, Felicity. You are the strongest, toughest and smartest person I know. You will find a way through it, I’m sure. And until then I’ll just have to wait a little longer and see how you decide. But I finally found you again, so I think I can take a little more wait.” he smiled at her and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb. Felicity closed her eyes and just nodded, letting the information sink in.

 

After a few moments, Felicity sat back on the couch, wiping her cheeks before she cleared her throat. Oliver had moved back to his place on the couch, giving her a little more space.  
“I can’t be with Eddie any more.” she suddenly announced, looking straight into her lap where she fidgeted with the rumpled tissue. “It’s not fair to anyone of us. I wanted to end this for a while now, but it seems I’m even too much of a coward to do that.” she laughed ironically.

“That’s not true, Felicity. I don’t think you’re a coward. I just think you didn’t want to hurt his feelings, that’s why you haven’t made that decision yet. It would make you a coward if you’d be unfaithful, or dishonest with him, but you’re not a coward for caring for someone’s feelings.”

“I’m dishonest with him almost every day, Oliver!” she replied with a tone a little more snappy than she intended to. “He thinks I’m happy in this relationship, and that I only haven’t slept with him yet because I don’t feel comfortable to yet, which is only half true. He’s giving 100% to this relationship and I constantly drift away with my thoughts every time I’m with him. I’d call this pretty dishonest, Oliver.” she told him, shaking her head ironically at herself.

 

“You haven’t slept together yet?” Oliver suddenly asked and Felicity tilted her head slightly, quirking an eyebrow at him.  
“Really? That’s what stuck with you from everything I just said?”

Oliver just shrugged with a small smile and Felicity had to shake her head with a laugh.  
“No, we haven’t. I just…. I don’t know, it felt wrong, somehow. Like he wasn’t the right person sharing the bed with me, especially since he would be the first one I’d share the bed with since I got my eyesight back.” she shrugged. Oliver was listening closely, hanging on her every word. She expected him to say something, ask another question, but he didn’t. Instead he just stared at her and nodded slightly after a few seconds

 

She suddenly got up and took the containers from the table, bringing them over to the kitchen. Oliver watched her move through the Apartment and thought about following her, but decided not to.  
“Want something to drink?” her voice suddenly called out from the kitchen.

“Water, please.” Oliver called back. After a few moments, Felicity returned with a bottle of red wine tucked under her arm and a bottle of water for Oliver.

“Do you know we never talked about what happened at the Gala Party?” Oliver suddenly announced while he watched Felicity uncorking the wine bottle. She immediately stopped her movements and looked over to him.

He was right. They had never talked about that. She knew he had a fight with his father and got drunk after that, but never in all these months did she think about what the fight between them could have been about.

“I completely forgot about that, to be honest.” Felicity replied before she finished opening the wine bottle.

“Do you want to hear it?” he hesitantly asked her.

“Of course!” she replied with an eager voice. Hearing about it would help her puzzle all pieces together a bit more accurately, so she was happy to hear him sharing this part of the Story.

 

Oliver waited for Felicity to finish opening the bottle and pour herself a glass. When she settled on the couch and relaxed into the cushions, Oliver spoke up again.  
“You know that we went to Helena after I received that letter from the Falcons, right?” Felicity just nodded, so he kept going on. “Well, as it turned out, they didn’t just let me go out of good will. Isabel had her hand in this.” He could see Felicity’s very confused face staring at him. “Apparently she went to my father, told him everything and made him pay the 5 Million to bail me out at the Falcons.”

At that moment, Felicity’s face went from surprised to complete and utter shock.  
“She did **WHAT**? Oh please can I punch her in the face or something if I ever get to meet her again?”

Oliver laughed slightly at that.  
“I doubt you’ll meet her any time soon. But the story’s just getting better, trust me.”

Before Oliver could continue, Felicity raised her hand and stopped him. He watched her take a large sip from her glass and set it down on the table again, before she motioned for him to continue speaking.  
“Well, at the Gala my father approached me and dropped the bomb on me. And after telling me he practically righted my wrongs by paying the money to the Falcons, he tried to force me to end my career as a Quarterback and start working in his Company if I couldn’t pay him back.”

If Felicity could have looked any more shocked than she already did, she probably would have.  
“But… what happened then? Are you working at QC now? Please don’t tell me you quit your career!” Felicity rambled and Oliver laughed slightly.

“No, I’m not working at QC. I told my father multiple times over the years that I would never work in that Company, let alone under his lead. At Laurel and Tommy’s wedding my father and I nearly got into a fight which led to me telling Tommy everything. About the contract, the contractual fines and the way Isabel had handled things with my father.”  
Oliver took a large gulp from his water before he continued.  
“End of story? Tommy bailed me out. Killed one of his trust funds and lend me the money. I’m paying him back every dime, though. I don’t have contact to any of my family members any more besides Thea. Actually, she’s living with me now. Well, she’s away most of the time, but she’s occupying her room in my Apartment more regularly now. I have never talked to my father again after I went into his office and threw the Cheque on his desk. That was probably my proudest moment from last year.” Oliver grinned broadly.  
“Oh, and Tommy and Laurel are expecting! But they just found out very recently and I don’t think I’m supposed to know yet, but since Tommy spilled the secrets over one too many glasses of Scotch, I can pass on the news to you now.” he smiled.

 

Felicity’s mouth hung open for a while she tried to process everything Oliver had just told her.  
“But what about your mother?” she suddenly asked, her mouth working faster than her brain ever could, while it still processed the information she just heard.

Oliver sighed a bit at that.  
“Mom… well, I tried talking to her, but the more time passed on, the more she stood behind my father, trying to justify his actions towards me. She kept trying to talk me into taking a position in the Company, so I cut ties with her as well. We talk every once in a while, but that’s about it. But I’m sure Thea lets her know I’m fine regularly.”

“And what about Isabel?”

“Oh, that’s a funny one, actually. After my contractual fine had been paid, I first went to her boss and told her she was screwing not only her clients but her coworkers as well. Then I went to the Starling Daily and gave them an exclusive about my relationship with Isabel and her machinations behind everything about the contract. Last thing I heard was she had moved back to the East Coast and is living with her mother now.”

 

“Wow, that’s…. that’s a lot to hear, actually.”  
Felicity thought about everything for a long moment. Hearing the story about Isabel and Oliver’s father made her feel even more bad about running away from him when he would have needed nothing but support from her.  
“I’m sorry, Oliver.” she suddenly told him.

“About what? Isabel living with her Mom?” he joked.

“About running away from you when I absolutely had no reason to. About running away from you when you would have needed my support. I’m sorry I had been so selfish and let you alone with this.” she frowned.

Oliver slowly crouched over to where she sat on the couch again. He gently took her hand in his and made her look up at him.  
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t leave me alone with this on purpose, Felicity. I knew you were scared and after what Helena told me about your past relationship with that guy in College I figured you were just too scared to have your heart broken again. Especially after the ordeal with your ex-fiancée. I was sure you didn’t want to run away like that, so I figured everything with Amanda must have freaked you out so much you just stopped thinking straight and just acted on impulse. That’s one of the many reasons why I never stopped looking for you, actually.”

She started into his azure blue eyes for a few moments and felt her heart racing.  
“What’s the other reasons?” she asked him before she bit her lip slightly, nervous to ask him that question, but too curious to hear the answer to not ask.

“I love you. And I now you loved me to. That doesn’t simply end by one person running away. I knew you were just scared and hurt. And there were so many things I still wanted to tell you. I HAD to find you, no matter how long it takes. And I’m so glad I did.” he smiled warmly at her and gently squeezed her hand.

 

He told her he loved her. She would have loved to kiss him at that moment, and that thought freaked her out. She couldn’t do that. Not to herself, not to Oliver and certainly not to Eddie. When the eye contact between them lasted a little longer than appropriate, Felicity nervously cleared her throat and looked at her wine glass on the table. Oliver slid a step back on the couch to give her a little more space. After she took a small sip from her wine, she gave him a small, polite smile.  
“So… how long will you be staying in Vancouver?”

“Just 3 days, actually. I have to be back at the Starling Archers Centre for a Meeting on Monday.”

“Oh, so your career is still running strong?” she asked him with a big smile in her tone.

“Not exactly. I had to quit a few months ago after a pretty bad fall during a game. My shoulder took quite a hit and I injured a few nerves and muscles in the process. Took them 3 months to get me a feeling into my shoulder muscles and upper arm again. And then they announced it would take me at least a year to get back on track if I didn’t want to risk permanent damage to my shoulder, so I had to make decisions. That’s when they offered me a job in the youth empowerment at the Archers. I checked out the work for a few weeks and decided to accept. They even offered me to get me back on the Team as soon as my shoulder’s fine again, but we’ll see about that.” he smiled.

 

Felicity listened to him closely while he spoke.  
“Are you happy with your life right now?” she suddenly asked him. “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean to say you sound unhappy. It’s just… you said you loved your job as a Quarterback so much and now it all took an unfortunate turn you couldn’t control and you had to change plans. And that sounds so much like my life. So I was just wondering if you’re happy with your life right now.”

“My life is good, great actually. And I can’t say I am unhappy. But am I as happy as I could be? No.” he firmly told her and Felicity just nodded slightly, thinking about how much his words resembled her own life right now.

“What would make your life perfect again?” she asked him, nervously fidgeting with the pillow sitting next to her on the couch. She was scared to hear an answer she wouldn’t like, but her curiosity once again got ahold of her. 

“You.” he just replied and stared straight into her eyes.

 

He took her completely off guard with that. She had no idea what to say to that, not that there was much to reply to anyway. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, ready to say something, but her brain couldn’t form a clear sentence.  
She wanted to do it right. For one time in her life, she wanted to do it right. But to do so, she needed to take care of a few important things first. The most important thing being Eddie. She couldn’t tell Oliver anything, give him any clear answer as long as things with Eddie haven’t been cleared.  
Keeping her head above the water had always been her forte before the accident happened, and that was what she needed to do again.

She took a deep breath and looked at Oliver and for the first time, she actively seeked out his closeness. She grabbed his hand and slowly intertwined fingers with him before she spoke again.

“I want to make things right, Oliver. Even if it means we can’t be a couple any more, I want to make this up to you, want to make you believe me how sorry I am for treating you like this. But I can’t do any of that as long as I haven’t talked to Eddie yet. I’m leaving him hanging in the loop more than he deserves already and I really need to talk to him first and clear things up with him. Until I haven’t done that, I can’t give you an answer to any question that’s about us, Oliver, I’m sorry. I have made so many mistakes in the past, especially with you… I need to make this right at least once.”  
Oliver stroked her hand with his thumb the entire time she spoke and he could feel Felicity relax into it after a few minutes. She still seemed to tense up every time Oliver touched her, but who could blame her. Not only 24 hours ago he waltzed into her life again after 11 months of radio silence and now they were sitting on her couch in her Apartment, clearing things up that needed to be talked about long ago.

 

When she checked her watch and realized it was already well past 10 and they had spent more than 8 hours together, talking about everything they had to talk about, Felicity sat a little straighter on her couch.  
“I really don’t want to shoo you out of my Apartment, but I need to shower badly and my shift starts at 6am tomorrow morning. Would you like to meet again tomorrow? Since Eddie is out of town I didn’t have anything planned yet. We could have Dinner again, maybe?” she hesitantly asked him, hoping he would agree. When his face lit up with a grin, she had to smile slightly as well.

“I would love to meet again tomorrow. Can I pick you up from work again? I would love to take you to Dinner somewhere, but since I basically know nothing about this City, I figure you’re the one to pick places.”

“Uhm… or we could cook at my place? I mean, just cooking together, not like a Dinner Date or something, and of course I expect you to help chopping the vegetables.”

“Yeah, we can totally do that. I’m almost sure my shoulder will survive a little chopping.” he joked and slowly got up from the couch. Felicity followed him to the door before he turned around and faced her again.  
“It was a great afternoon, thank you for that.” Oliver told her with a smile after putting on his leather jacket.

Felicity didn’t reply, she just closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Oliver immediately returned the hug and once again enjoyed the feeling of the woman he loved being so close to him again after so many months of being separated from each other.  
“Thank you.” she mumbled into his chest while she listened to his, strong, steady heartbeat.

“For what?” he mumbled into her hair, inhaling the smell of her shampoo.

“For not giving up on us. For trying to find me, even after everything I did. For believing in me. For loving me.” she whispered and just when the last words left her mouth, Oliver wrapped his hands around her face and made her look up to him. He stared into her eyes for several long moments, taking in every feature about her that he didn’t recognize before. The way she focused on certain parts on his face, the way her pupils dilated whenever she felt affected by something, the way she couldn’t look away from him even though she was crazy nervous. And just at that moment it reminded him how much he loved her.

When she nervously licked her lips, Oliver’s gaze suddenly fell down to her mouth for a second before settling on her eyes again.  
“I want to kiss you so badly now.” he whispered.

He expected her to back off or tense up, but to his surprise, she didn’t  
“We can’t.” she whispered back. “I can’t do that. I can’t ruin everything more than I already did.”

“I know.” he reluctantly replied. “But I will kiss you again, Felicity. And once I did, I will never let you leave my side again.” he told her before he pulled her head towards his face. That’s when he felt her tense up and it made him smile. He knew he couldn’t kiss her. There was still someone else in her life and she already told him she wanted to clear things up first. He just had to wait. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t kiss her on the forehead. A kiss that said so much more than just _’I love you.’_  
As soon as Felicity felt him planting his lips on her forehead, the tension left her body again. She thought it would feel uncomfortable being so near Oliver again after almost a year, but she actually enjoyed it.

 

He let go of her head after a few moments and stepped back with a smile.  
“At the Coffee Shop tomorrow, same time?”

Felicity just nodded with a wide smile and Oliver slowly stepped out of the Apartment.  
“Goodnight Felicity.” he smiled and turned to leave.

 

Felicity was surely in for a sleepless night with thousands of things to think about.


	25. little talks

Felicity’s day started after her 4th cup of coffee. After the almost sleepless night she had after Oliver had left, it took her longer than usual to get back to her daily routine of getting ready for work, especially since she had the early shift that day. 

So when at 5:50am she arrived at the Coffee Shop to open up and start the day, she was already stressed out and high on coffee, even though there hadn’t been any customers yet. Brad arrived two minutes after her and just raised an eyebrow as soon as he saw Felicity’s stressed out face and dark circles under the eyes.  
“Rough night?” he joked and shoulder bumped her while she was preparing the coffee maker, trying to enlighten the mood, but Felicity just gave him an angry glare that made him step back and raise his hands in surrender.  
“Whoa, easy buddy. Don’t kill me. So… not so rough night?” he waggled his eyebrows with a grin but made sure to keep a good distance between him and his coworker.

 

“It’s not what you think, Brad.” Felicity sighed and put on her purple apron.

“It never is.” Brad just mumbled and Felicity gave him a look again before she shook her head with a sigh and poured herself another cup of coffee. She still had 5 minutes before the first customers would come in, and she couldn’t greet them with a yawn.

“You really look like shit, Fee. Not trying to sound rude, just… you really do.” Brad told her and at his serious, almost worried tone, Felicity turned her head and looked at him.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed and put her mug down on the counter, “it’s just… I only slept less than 2 hours last night and I’m already on my 5th coffee even though it’s barely 6am and – “

“Everything alright with you?” Brad cut her off and Felicity thought about it for a moment before she looked up at him again.

“No, Brad. Not really. But I promise I won’t let that get in the way with my job. I really love this job and I swear this isn’t my usual behavior, I just – “

Brad took a step towards her and grabbed her small arms, stopping her mid-ramble. “Fee. It’s okay. You’ve been nothing but a great employee for the last few months, I’m not going to report you only because you lack some sleep today. Tell you what… if there won’t be more than 20 customers until 7am, you can take the day off. But only on one condition.”

Felicity looked up at him, surprised at his words for a moment.  
“What condition?”

“You go home and get a good amount of sleep to make up what you lacked the last 2 nights.” He smiled at her and caressed her arms with his large hands.  
Felicity just gave him a small smile and nodded, thankful for the offer her boss had made her. Under different circumstances she would have fought him, discussed it out so she could stay, but she knew he was right. She couldn’t greet customers with raccoon eyes as large as Texas.

 

At 7.15am, customer number 17 left the Shop with a large Latte in hand and Brad threw his dishtowel onto the counter, making Felicity jump.  
“Now that I have your attention,” he grinned at her when he picked up the towel again, “go home and go to bed. See you in two days.”  
Felicity nodded and quickly made her way to the back rooms. After grabbing her stuff, she hugged and thanked Brad one last time and quickly walked home. She had no idea how badly her bed was calling her name until she was actually nearing it again. As soon as she stepped inside, she let out a long yawn and made a beeline for the bedroom. Once she had closed the curtains, she kicked off her shoed and flopped onto the mattress. She didn’t even bother undressing and was fast asleep in less than 5 seconds.

 

Just minutes before 2pm, Oliver entered the small coffee shop, a smile on his face, his eyes searching for the beautiful blonde he expected to be standing behind the counter, waiting for him. When instead of Felicity, he saw only her coworker though, he frowned slightly. Looking around the coffee shop once more, he neared the counter until Brad spoke up.  
“Hey, how can I help you?”

“I uh… I’m looking for Felicity.”

Brad looked confused for a moment but quickly remembered Felicity talking to Oliver at the back exit 2 days ago. His face relaxed slightly before he replied with a smile.  
“Oh, she took the day off. Wasn’t feeling well. Can I get you something instead?”

Oliver thought about that for a moment. Felicity didn’t tell him anything about not feeling well when he left, so he wondered what might have happened. He instantly worried if she regretted their afternoon together and tried to avoid him now. So spending the afternoon with her today would be out of the picture. But she would have told him if she didn’t want to see him any more, would she? What if really something happened to her?  
“Uh, yeah could you get me a large Caramel Latte and one of what Felicity usually drinks, please?”  
Brad just nodded and quickly got to work. After Oliver passed him 10$ and grabbed the two cups, he quickly made his way to Felicity’s Apartment.

 

After taking a deep breath, he knocked at her door and waited. It took a few moments until he heard some slight rustling behind the door. When it opened, a very sleepy Felicity peeked her head out, her hair in a messy bun, her eyes still full of sleep. As soon as she spotted Oliver, her eyes shot up in total shock.  
“Oh my god, Oliver! I am sorry, I fell asleep right when I came home and didn’t set my alarm! Please come in!” she stepped aside and opened the door wider for him to enter. When he stepped inside, Felicity quickly sprinted into her bedroom, leaving Oliver alone in the living room.

After a few minutes she returned, dressed in some sweatpants and a Hoodie, her hair straightened and put in a fresh ponytail. She gave him a small smile and sat down on the couch next to him. Oliver wordlessly handed her one of the cups of coffee and Felicity gratefully accepted. When she took the first sip and realized that it was her favorite Caramel Chai Latte, she gave him a surprised look.  
“I had a little help from your coworker.” he grinned at her.

Felicity laughed slightly and took another sip before she tucked her feet under herself on the couch.  
“Your coworker also told me you weren’t feeling well… are you okay?” Oliver asked her and she could see the honest concern on his face. Felicity ducked her head for a moment, unable to look at him and see the worry for her on his face. She took a breath before she looked up at him again.

“I just didn’t get much sleep last night and felt terrible when I arrived at work this morning.” She tried to sound casual but Oliver could see her being uncomfortable.

“What kept you awake?”

“You.” she laughed ironically, looking down at her lap again.

Oliver gave her a slightly confused look. “Me? What do you mean? Did I do anything wrong?”

Felicity smiled at him. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, you did wonderful yesterday. It made me realize I missed you more than I was ready to admit all these months. And that’s the problem.”

Oliver ‘s expression changed from hopeful to concerned. ‘Problem’ never sounded good.

When Felicity saw Oliver’s confused and concerned look, she gave him a small smile.  
“There’s still Eddie in my life, and despite the fact that I _know_ I don’t love him, I still care about him. A lot. And then you came back into my life and everything got so confusing again.” she sighed and Oliver grabbed one of her hands that rested on her lap. When she felt his warm fingers cover her hand in his, she looked up at him again. His eyes were glowing the brightest blue she had ever seen and she could see nothing but adoration for her on his face, even after she just told him she was still with another man.  
“I know I can’t be with Eddie any longer, I probably knew that for a while now, but I was just too scared to admit it. Or too scared of being alone again, I don’t know.” she sighed and shook her head for a moment. “But you coming back here made me realize that I can’t keep running away from all my problems all the time, because apparently, they keep haunting me.” she laughed slightly and Oliver had to grin at that as well.

“Oh, by the way… I found something!” Felicity suddenly announced and jumped off the couch. Oliver watched her sprint into the bedroom and heard her rummaging around. When she returned a few seconds later, holding a piece of paper in hand and a bright grin on her face, Oliver realized what she was talking about.

“Is that the letter from Helena?”

Felicity just nodded with a smile and plopped down on the couch next to him.  
“I started digging for it last night when I couldn’t sleep. Took me almost an hour, but I still have it.” she smiled proudly and put it on the table in front of her. When Oliver took a peek, he spotted a hand-written message attached to the letter that he couldn’t remember seeing on his own copy. He went to pick it up but stopped and gave Felicity a look.

“May I?”

She just nodded and motioned for him to pick up the letter before she grabbed her cup of coffee again.  
Oliver read the hand-written note closely several times. It was just 4 sentences, but they made him freeze in shock, and then smile slightly. The note, scribbled down in Helena’s elegant handwriting, read:

_Hey Fee,  
overcome your fear and listen to your heart. Oliver is the best that ever happened to you.  
Don’t let your fear ruin that. He really loves you.  
Take care girl!  
xo, H_

 

When Felicity caught him staring at the note, reading it over and over, she chuckled slightly.  
“You left quite the impression on her, it seems. I have never heard Helena speak that highly of a man before.” Felicity told him between sips.

Oliver just nodded and put the letter back on the table.  
“She’s a great friend, Felicity. And I’m really thankful that she helped me out.” he smiled at her.

 

They casually kept talking about Helena and their time together at College until Felicity’s stomach made a loud grumbling sound. Her face went bright red and Oliver let out a hearty laugh.  
“I’m sorry but I haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“Should we cook something? Or do you want to go out and get some food?” Oliver offered. 

“Well since I left home early this morning from work, I didn’t go shopping, so there isn’t much we could cook. We could take my car though and make a quick stop at the Store if you’re okay with it?” Felicity shrugged and Oliver eagerly agreed.  
“Only if you let me pay. Since I caused you a sleepless night it’s the least I can do.”

 

Felicity quickly changed into a pair of Jeans and a Sweater before they made her way to the small parking garage. As soon as Oliver spotted the bright red Mini, he grinned to himself. That car was 100% Felicity. He squeezed himself onto the passenger seat and closely watched her steering the small car through the streets of Vancouver. When she stopped at a red light and spotted him watching her, she quickly looked over to him before facing the road again.  
“What?”

“Hm?” Oliver asked.

“You’re watching me. It’s distracting.” she replied with a slight smile, keeping her eyes on the red light.

Oliver just laughed slightly. “Oh, it’s just… I’ve never seen you drive a car before. After more than a year I still get to know new things about you. It’s nice.” he smiled at her and Felicity could only blush slightly.

 

They made it to the Store within a few minutes and Felicity quickly steered the cart through the aisles. Oliver followed closely, always watching in awe at how confident she moved through the Store. She quickly grabbed all the stuff they'd need and steered the cart to the wine racks before she stopped short and turned around, almost crashing into Oliver in the process.  
"Whoa!" Oliver called out and took a step back. He watched her looking around, eyeing the wine racks around them, before she looked back up at him with a slight frown.

"Well, since you are paying for everything - and let me say again that I'm still not happy about it -" she added with a raised eyebrow while Oliver grinned at her, "YOU are going to pick the wine. I have my favorites but I surely won't make you pay 30$ bottle of wine just because I like it. So... the choice is yours." Felicity announced, waving her hand around the racks.

Oliver shook his head with a laugh, smiling at Felicity before he quickly pulled 3 bottles of a red wine he spotted sitting empty next to her sink the day before. Felicity's eyes went wide when she saw him putting the bottles into the cart but didn't say anything. She had no idea what shocked her more, anyway. Was it the fact that he picked her favorite bottle out of all the ones available, or was it because he directly grabbed 3 bottles instead of just one, like she would have done?  
Without another word they made it to the cashier. Oliver paid for everything, earning an annoyed huff from the petite blonde next to him once again. With a wink and a grin he grabbed the bags and followed her outside to the car.

 

As soon as Oliver set the bags down in the kitchen, Felicity forced him to sit down on the couch.  
"You're my guest - one that paid for all this, I might add -" she announced from the kitchen, gesturing to the food on the counter, "so there's no way I'm going to let you help me. Besides... my kitchen is tiny and you are gargantuan - how did I never realize how much bigger you are than I?" She half mumbled the last part but the slight rumble and smile from Oliver told her he still must have caught that.

"Alright, but I'm preparing the table and pour the wine." he told her before kicking off his shoes and getting comfortable on the couch. As soon as he spotted the TV remote, he turned on the TV and started zapping through the Channels until he settled on something he liked.  
Felicity watched him for a moment, taking in the situation in front of her. Oliver Queen, the man she ran away from months ago, who just appeared back in her life 48 hours ago, was now casually sitting on her couch, watching some Baseball game while she was preparing Dinner for them.  
Seeing him there, in her Apartment, in her life, made her smile. Because just at that moment, she realized how much he would always fit into her life, no matter how often she'd run away from him, no matter how far from home she lived, no matter how small the Apartment or how big the problems were she had to face. Watching Oliver sit there, casually stretching his arms over the back of her couch, making it look like he never used to be anywhere else, made her smile for a moment, until Eddie came to her mind and her face quickly changed from a smile to a frown. There was still the other man in her life. The man that, unlike her, still very well believed to be in a healthy relationship with her and had no idea that her ex-boyfriend was sitting on her couch, waiting for her to finish Dinner so they could spend the evening together afterwards.  
She knew what she was doing was wrong, that she probably should send Oliver home and call Eddie and talk to him instead, but the last day with Oliver made her realize how much she really missed him and that she couldn't _not_ spend time with him while he was in Vancouver. For quite awhile now she knew that the relationship with Eddie was fruitless and that she had to be the responsible one and talk to him and end things between them. And since Oliver came back to her, at least into her life, she knew that talking to Eddie was long overdue.

Making a mental note to call Eddie later to let him know they needed to talk as soon as he's back home, she sighed and shook her head, pushing away her thoughts about him and focusing on the task at hand - chopping the vegetables for Dinner with Oliver.

 

Once Felicity put some plates and forks on the counter, Oliver got up from the couch and started preparing the table. No one said a word though, they both worked in silence, occasionally smiling and blushing when one caught the other staring. Oliver poured them both a glass of wine when Felicity set the plates filled with Pasta on the table. She excused herself for a moment, quickly changing into some fresh clothes, touching up her ponytail and applying some lipstick - for good measure, of course, before she went back into the living room. Oliver immediately got up from his chair and went to pull hers out so she could sit down. She gave him a shy smile when he sat down opposite of her again.  
After a moment of awkward silence, Felicity cleared her throat and looked at her plate.  
"I hope you like Pasta? I'm really not the best cook, but my Pasta always turned out to be okay, so..."

"If it tastes like it smells I'm sure I'll love it. Thanks for cooking, Felicity." he smiled warmly at her, making her heart jump for a moment. The warmth of his eyes made her stop breathing for a second and she had to force herself to look away.

They began eating in silence, occasionally smiling at each other. When Felicity looked at her plate for a moment, seemingly deep in thought, Oliver stopped eating. He watched her closely, and when she let out a small laugh, shaking her head slightly, he put his fork down and looked up at her again.  
"What's wrong?"

She could see the confusion written all over his face and had to smile at him. Seeing him so worried for her, even at the tiniest of things, warmed her heart. And it also made her realize, once more, how big of an idiot she had been the last year. When she realized he was still staring at her, waiting for her to say something, she smiled, wiped her lips with the napkin and grabbed her wine glass.  
"You know... seeing you sitting here, in my Apartment, it's like you're a whole new person to me. A stranger, but one that I've known for years already. I know that doesn't make sense, but it feels like that to me. I know your voice and I know your laugh and the way you smell and everything like that, but seeing you is like still seeing a stranger. I know this might sound cheesy, but it feels like I'm really seeing you for the very first time now, ever since we met in Marbella." she smiled shyly at him before taking a sip of her wine.

Oliver watched her closely while she spoke, seeing how she nervously played with the stem of her glass, not able to maintain eye contact with him.  
"That doesn't sound cheesy at all, Felicity. I'm feeling the same, actually." he smiled at her.

Felicity's eyes shot up at that. "Really? You do?" she blurted out. "I mean... how? You could always see me all the time. None of that should be as different to you as it is for me." she said, sounding slightly confused.

"You're a different woman now, Felicity." Oliver only replied with a smile, leaning back into his chair. When he could see her confusion only increase, he gently took her hand in his, resting them next to their glasses on the table while he rubbed soothing circles on her palm with his thumb.  
"You're different than the woman that suddenly disappeared out of my life last year. You're more confident, a stronger personality. I don't know what caused it, maybe it was running away from me, maybe it was getting your eyesight back, maybe it even was your boyfriend. Either way, I really, really like the Felicity I'm sitting opposite to right now. You're a different person, that's true. But none of the things I got to love about you were taken away. You just added some other nice parts to the pile, making you even more beautiful and stunning than you already used to be." he smiled at her and Felicity was sure that if she wasn't sitting down, her knees would have given out after that speech.

Felicity stared at him wide eyed, unable to form a coherent thought for what seemed for hours. Oliver kept rubbing circles over her palm and smiled at her the most honest smile she had ever seen. She gulped twice, looked down at her plate and closed her eyes for a second, gathering her thoughts before she could reply to him.  
“I missed you every day,” she almost whispered, unable to look him in the eyes. “Every minute. I thought it would go away – the missing you – but it hasn’t.”

“That’s why you started dating Eddie.”

Felicity nodded. "And that's why I need to end things with him. No matter how you and me may end up - it's just not fair to him. And I hate myself for not seeing so clearly earlier." she frowned.

 

Taking a deep breath, she quickly pulled her hand out of Oliver’s, got up from the chair and grabbed both plates. Oliver couldn’t even get up from his chair as quickly as Felicity fled into the kitchen. He quickly re-filled both wine glasses and set them on the couch table, along with the bottle. When Felicity didn’t return from the kitchen after a few minutes, he took a few tentative steps forward and peeked into the room and what he saw, made his heart break.

Felicity stood in front of the sink, both hands clutching to a dishtowel while she silently sobbed. She didn’t shut off the water, she didn’t move the plates, she didn’t even see Oliver enter the tiny room, until he wrapped his arms around her and turned her to face him. Felicity didn’t protest, and she didn’t try to stop the tears. She simply let herself be embraced by Oliver, his huge arms wrapped around her pressing her face into his chest while she kept on crying tears she couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Hey, shhhh,” Oliver gently whispered into her hair while he stroked her head, “everything’s going to be okay.”

“I’m a terrible person. I make terrible decisions that not only affect my own life, but the ones of others as well.” she sobbed and Oliver could only hold her close, letting her cry everything out.

“You’re a wonderful person, Felicity. You care about people. And like I said yesterday, you will find a way through all this.” he assured her with a calm voice.  
Felicity cried for what seemed like hours, wetting his shirt, trembling in his arms. She hadn’t cried like that since she left Starling City, and it seemed that just at that moment, all the pent up frustration and sadness from the last few months boiled over until she couldn’t stop it any more. Oliver never moved away, never tried to loosen his hold on her. He just held her in his arms, kissing her forehead, stroking her hair, until after a few minutes, the blonde woman in his arms suddenly became silent. When Oliver looked down at her, he could see her closed eyes and the death grip she had on his shirt, so he didn’t even try to move away from her. Instead, he turned off the water, bent down slightly and pulled her up into his arms to carry her out of the room.

Once he reached the couch and sat down, placing her in his lap, he could feel her grip loosen a bit. She snuggled into his chest and whispered “I remember this. You carrying me around.”

Oliver smiled at that, enjoying the feel of the woman he tried to find for so long now so close to him again. But he, too, knew that there was still another man in her life and that he shouldn’t get too attached to her again. At least not until she had cleared things up and was a free woman again.

 

When Felicity started to move off his lap to take a seat next to him on the couch, Oliver immediately felt the emptiness on his lap and wanted to pull her back to him again, but since she was already in such a vulnerable state, he decided not to. Instead, he grabbed both wine glasses and wordlessly handed her one. Felicity wiped her nose and gladly accepted the wine glass with both hands. Just when she was about to take a sip, she saw Oliver lifting his glass in her direction. She quickly clinked hers with his and gave him a small smile.  
“To a new beginning.” he told her with a smile and took a sip.

 

They talked about lighter topics after that, and Felicity was grateful that Oliver didn’t ask any more questions about her breakdown. She fell into an easy conversation with him and enjoyed hearing him talk about his job in the youth empowerment of the Starling Archers. Oliver told her about all the young talents he got to train with and that the kids treated him like a Star there. Felicity smiled and asked questions that Oliver eagerly answered until suddenly, her phone started ringing. She quickly jumped off the couch and sprinted to the door, fishing for her phone in the bag she threw into the corner earlier. Once she saw the caller ID, she froze in shock, looking up at Oliver, unsure what to do.

“Go on, take it.” he nodded with a smile.

Felicity reluctantly nodded, accepted the call and made it to the bedroom in quick steps.  
“Hey,” was the last thing Oliver heard her saying before the bedroom door closed, giving Felicity some privacy for the call. Oliver had to force himself not to eavesdrop, so he quickly downed his wine and walked into the kitchen, taking care of the dishes Felicity was unable to do just an hour ago.

 

\---------------------

 

“Hey,” was all Felicity could bring out when she accepted the call and heard Eddie’s happy voice on the other line.

“Hey, honey. Is everything alright? You don’t sound too well.” Eddie replied, immediately picking up her slightly restrained voice.

Felicity had no idea what to do. She couldn’t start the conversation that way. Not like this, and certainly not on the phone.  
“Yeah, I just had a rough night. Didn’t sleep too well. I guess that’s taking a toll on me now.” Well, technically that wasn’t a lie. “When will you be back?”

“Tomorrow around noon, I hope. I miss you.”

Great, her nerves really didn’t need to hear that. She had no idea what to reply to that. Actually, she had no idea what to say to him at all. Telling him _‘We need to talk’_ is basically equal to ‘I’m breaking up with you but I want to tell you in person, so please act like I just want to talk to you until we see each other again.’ And she really didn’t want to make him suspicious. She dreaded the conversation enough as is already, she didn’t need to add a suspicious boyfriend to the pile.  
“Felicity?”  
His voice pulled her out of her thoughts that apparently lasted longer than she intended to.

“Oh, uh… sorry. Got stuck in my head for a moment. Can I come over to your place when you’re back?” she answered, trying to sound as casual as possible, even though her nerves got ahold of her.

Eddie didn’t answer for a moment and Felicity wondered if he was still on the line.  
“Are you sure everything is alright?” he just asked her and Felicity stopped breathing for a moment, frozen on the spot.

“Uh… yeah,” she replied after swallowing the lump in her throat and sitting down on the bed, “yeah, like I said… I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Felicity, since when are we lying at each other?” he suddenly asked and Felicity would have laughed at the irony of that question, if the situation wasn’t so ridiculous. “I can hear that you’re not okay. Your voice is different and you sound like you have been crying. So… what’s going on?” Eddie asked her, his voice sounding more pressing than just a moment ago. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll book a flight and come back home the next hour!” he warned her and Felicity dropped her head. A silent tear made its way down her cheek, and she had no idea what to reply. Her brain stopped working, her throat tightened and she had a hard time wallowing down the sobs that made their way up, so Eddie wouldn’t hear her cry.

 

“There’s another guy, isn’t it?” Eddie suddenly asked her in a calm voice and caught Felicity completely off guard with it. Before she could reply anything though, Eddie continued. “There has been someone else all the time, isn’t it? I’m not an idiot, Felicity. I see the way you look at me, like you’re with me but are still so far away. I knew from the beginning that there was something going on inside of you and after a while I figured it had to do with another man. Your refusal to talk about your life before Vancouver, that name you whisper over and over in your sleep, the way you back away every time I try to sleep with you, the silent crying in the bathroom that you think I never hear, the photos of that man that you keep hidden on your phone and laptop, your never telling me you love me, even after I told you. I know about this for a while now, Felicity. But I thought that maybe it was just a phase and you’d get over it and we could really have a future together, but the more time passed on, the more I realized that we don’t. That guy in your heart, I think he can call himself pretty lucky. It’s rare that someone loves the way you do. You are an amazing woman, Felicity, but we don’t belong together. Your heart already belongs to someone else. Maybe we should finally stop pretending everything is fine when it clearly is not between us.”  
Eddie sighed and waited for Felicity to reply. But Felicity just sat on her bed, holding her phone in a death grip, letting his words sink in.

“Eddie, I…” Now wasn’t the time for lies. Not that there still was a time for lying at all after Eddie so amazingly put everything out on the table. “I didn’t want to do this over the phone. I’m sorry.” she replied and had to bite her lip so she wouldn’t sob into the phone. “I’m really, really sorry. I never wanted it to go this way, I – “

“Hey, Felicity, it’s okay. I know that you didn’t want to play with me. You know what, let’s talk about this once I’m back home, okay? You’re right, we shouldn’t do this over the phone. But since you didn’t call or even send a text all day, I figured something was up. And hearing your voice now only confirmed my suspicions. I don’t think there’s any need to beat around the bush any longer. And now please stop crying, honey. It’s alright. I’m not mad at you.” Eddie told her and Felicity could hear the honesty in his voice, even though she had no idea how he could sound so unaffected after she pretty much played him for several weeks. “I’ll call you as soon as I’m back home. Are you at work tomorrow?”

Felicity wiped her nose and sniffled once before she could reply.  
“Uh, no… I have a day off tomorrow. You can call any time.”

“Alright.” he replied, followed by a long moment of awkward silence. “Well… talk to you tomorrow then. Bye.” And with that, he ended the call. Felicity stared at the phone in her shaking hand for a long while until she put it on the mattress next to her.

 

Eddie knew. About everything. Even though she always tried to hide her feelings, not only from him but from herself as well. She knew she dreamt of Oliver a lot, but she had no idea she mumbled his name in her sleep.  
Why did Eddie never ask her? She figured since she dreamed about Oliver from the first day she arrived in Vancouver, Eddie must have heard her mumbling his name early on in their relationship, so why did he never say anything? Did he already guess something was going on that early? And why did he never ask her about the crying in the bathroom, or the photos of Oliver that she thought she kept well hidden on her Laptop? She rarely ever looked at them at all, and when she did, Eddie wasn’t at home.

Hundreds of questions started bubbling up in her head and she tried memorizing them all so she could ask Eddie about it the next day. Taking a deep breath, she got up from the bed. Grabbed her phone and made her way to the living room again.

 

\--------------------------

 

Oliver busied himself with cleaning up Felicity’s tiny kitchen when he heard a bedroom door open. He quickly threw the dishtowel on the counter and left the room, seeing Felicity slipping into the bathroom. He heard sniffles and nose wiping and when the bathroom door opened again, he was already waiting for her next to the couch.  
As soon as she spotted him, looking like someone kicked his puppy, she closed the distance between them in 3 quick steps and wrapped her small arms around his huge waist, holding onto him for dear life.

Oliver eagerly returned the hug and kissed her head again, something he had grown to love doing to her in the last 2 days. After a few minutes, Felicity pulled back, sniffled her nose again and straightened his wrinkled shirt before she looked up at him.  
“I’m sorry I sobbed on your shirt – again.”

Oliver couldn’t hold back a small chuckle. “It’s okay. What happened? Do you want to talk about it?”

“Eddie knows.” she replied and plopped back on the couch, grabbing her wine glass, taking a huge gulp from it. Oliver listened closely while he sat down next to her. “I didn’t even need to tell him anything, he knew already.” she continued and set the glass back on the table. “Apparently I’m not as good at masking my feelings as I believed to.” she laughed ironically.

“So where does that leave you two now?”

Felicity pulled her feet up under herself, tugging her small body into the corner of the couch, facing Oliver.  
“We’ll talk as soon as he’s back tomorrow. He’ll give me a call once he’s home. I didn’t want to do this over the phone but he beat me to it.”

Oliver watched her closely while she spoke.  
“I know this is a stupid question, considering, but… Are you okay?”

Felicity nervously wiped her forehead, trying to soothe the beginnings of a headache that started to form.  
“Yeah. I mean, it doesn’t change anything for me, I just hate these kind of conversations.” she sighed.  
“It just confuses me how calm Eddie seemed about everything. If I were him, I would have freaked out, yelled around, anything. But he was just… calm. Like it was okay for him.”

“Well maybe it is.” Oliver replied in a gentle tone, grabbing one of her knees and unfolding her foot from under her so he could place it in his lap. When Felicity gave him a confused look but let him proceed, Oliver just smiled at her and pulled her sock off her feet.  
“There are pressure points in the feet that help getting rid of headaches.” he told her and began massaging the underside of her foot. Felicity sighed slightly and closed her eyes for a moment, resting her head on the couch cushion.

“How can it be okay for him? All these weeks?” she suddenly asked Oliver after a few minutes of silence, opening her eyes again. “I basically lied him in the face every day, and he could have easily called me out every day. And still he treated me like a princess, and behaved like everything was fine between us. So much, that even I believed it sometimes!” She shook her head at the thought.

“Did he say anything on the phone? I mean besides the fact that he knows?” Oliver asked her, still rubbing and kneading her foot.

Felicity thought about the phone call for a minute. Eddie said so much that she had trouble memorizing everything, especially since he dropped one bomb after the other with each sentence.  
“He said that he knew from early on that something was going on with me, but that he hoped it might just be a phase and I’d get over it. But after a while he realized that it wasn’t just a phase for me, so he resigned and accepted it.” Felicity shrugged. “I mean, that doesn’t make sense, does it? Could you be with someone that you know doesn’t love you? Someone that’s never ready to make the final step in that relationship? Someone that says the name of another man in her sleep?”

At that, Oliver stopped rubbing her foot and looked at her in shock. “What?”

Felicity blushed slightly when she realized what she just told him. She quickly looked down at her hands, unsure how to avoid the question. When she spotted her wine glass, she quickly leaned over and grabbed it, busying herself with small sips for as long as she could, hoping Oliver would drop the question and continue rubbing her foot so she could change the topic.  
But he didn’t. He almost stared a hole into her face and his eyes told her that he clearly expected a reply of some sort. Eyeing him over the rim of her glass she took one last sip, put the glass down and tried avoiding his gaze when she spoke.  
“Eddie told me I apparently, uh… sort of… mumbled your name in my sleep. Multiple times.” she blushed and then quickly wiggled her toes to get his attention on her foot again. It worked, and when she felt his hands start kneading her toes again, she quickly looked up at him, seeing him smile down at her foot. He didn’t say anything about it though and Felicity was grateful for it.

 

The conversation shifted to some lighter topics after that, and both Oliver and Felicity carefully avoided talking about Eddie for the rest of the night. Some time during the evening Oliver had managed to grab Felicity’s second foot as well, giving both feet a thorough massage for over an hour while they watched some Superhero movie on the TV. Felicity hummed slightly when he reached a particular tight muscle on the underside of her foot and started loosen it with his thumbs. 

 

Shortly before they emptied their second bottle of wine, Felicity fell asleep. The events of the day coupled with the sleepless night before and the amounts of wine she had downed that evening apparently took their toll on her. It took Oliver a while until he realized she wasn’t paying attention any more to the movie they were watching but relaxed her head on the couch cushion, eyes closed, face completely free of any stress. He watched her for a minute, taking in the almost fully relaxed expression and the slight smile on her lips. Gone were the wrinkles of worry on her forehead and the dark raccoon eyes and for the first time in a long while Oliver could fully appreciate how young Felicity looked when she was fully relaxed and asleep. It made him smile.

Trying not to wake her, he gently fumbled his phone out of his back pocket and quickly snapped a picture of her, tucked under her pink comforter, sound asleep with her head resting against the couch and her feet tucked in his lap. She looked so beautiful when she didn’t have to cry or worry about anything in her life. He admired the photo for a few moments before he stashed the phone into his pocket again and checked his watch. It was already past midnight and with Felicity already asleep, he should head back to his Hotel soon, too.

He gently lifted her feet and got up from the couch before he turned around and pulled her into his arms, taking the comforter with them. Felicity didn’t stir; she just snuggled into his chest and smiled contently.

As soon as he entered her bedroom, he placed her onto the mattress, not bothering to turn on any light. When he pulled away the comforter and tried to remove her glasses, Felicity slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at him and realized they weren’t lying on the couch any longer. Remembering what a mess her bedroom still was after she was trying to find Helena’s letter in one of her bags the night before, she sat up on the mattress.  
“Please don’t look around here, it’s so messy, I actually didn’t plan on letting anyone in here in the near future.” she almost blushed and Oliver had to laugh at that.

“Felicity, relax. I’ve seen your Hotel Room in Marbella and I’ve seen what you did to my bedroom – multiple times. I think I’m used to this by now.” he chuckled, earning a swat on the arm from her.

After the laughter died down, Oliver nervously put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, wiping his toes over the plush carpet in front of her bed.  
“Uh… well, I think I should get going now.” he nervously told her and was about to head for the door when a hand on his wrist stopped him.

“Stay with me? Just… just sleeping, nothing more. I just don’t want to be alone tonight.” she blushed and Oliver looked at her with wide eyes. He didn’t expect her to say anything like this – at all. But as soon as the words left her mouth, he knew he couldn’t go back to his Hotel Room any more. He wanted to stay as badly as she wanted it; he just didn’t know it until Felicity spoke it out.

“But I don’t have any sleeping clothes with me.”

“I still have one of your shirts, I believe. At least it’s way too large for me and I’ve never been to Harvard, so – “ she jumped off the mattress and started digging through her drawers when she finally spotted what she was looking for, “ I assume this is yours?” she smiled and waved a bright blue T-Shirt in front of her.

 

Oliver first cocked an eyebrow at her before he pointed an accusing finger in her direction.  
“YOU! Did you steal anything else from me? I’m pretty sure I wrongly accused Thea on stealing my clothes and making them disappear when in reality, YOU were the thief!” he asked her, squeezing his eyes together to feign anger.

Felicity giggled and threw the shirt in his direction before shrugging slightly.  
“I couldn’t see anything back then, guess that’s excuse enough.” she winked before she started looking for her own sleep shirt and shorts.

“Now go change, the bathroom’s opposite of this room.” she hushed him out the door.  
Once she heard the bathroom door close, Felicity started running around her room, collecting all the clothing that lay strewn all over the room before she pulled back the comforter off her bed. Once the curtains were closed, she kicked off her Jeans and put on the sleep shorts. She didn’t hear the bathroom door open and didn’t realize Oliver standing in the door when she removed her sweatshirt and tossed it in the hamper before she put on the sleep shirt.

Oliver left the bathroom, his Jeans and Shirt neatly folded and was about to enter the bedroom when he saw Felicity standing with her back to him, in her bright pink sleep shorts, pulling her sweatshirt over her head. His breath caught for a moment at the sight of her lean body and the tattooed angel wings that he almost forgot about.  
“I missed seeing these.” he told her in a low voice, making her head snap around in shock. She quickly pulled the shirt over her head before she turned around, her face bright red.

“Seeing what?” she asked him, almost too nervous to hear the answer.

“Your angel wings. It’s been a while since I’ve last seen them.” he smiled and watched her move around the room until she arrived at the bed.

“Well it’s been a while since you’ve last seen me at all.” she smiled and got under the sheets. “Now, do you want to sleep in the hallway or why are you still frozen on the spot?” she asked him and Oliver realized he was still standing in the same spot for several minutes now, holding his neatly folded clothes in hand. As soon as she patted the mattress next to him, Oliver put the clothes on the chair next to the bed and slowly got under the blankets, keeping a respectable distance to Felicity.

“Goodnight, Oliver.” she said and rolled to the side, facing away from him. Oliver mimicked her position and watched her for a moment, unsure if she’d move again.

“Good night, Felicity.” he replied once he saw her not moving any more. He relaxed his head on the pillow and breathed in the unmistakable scent of Felicity and was about to doze off to sleep, when he felt her scooting closer to him until her back touched his chest. He froze for a moment, feeling like a Teenager that touched a woman’s body for the first time, and waited for any reaction from Felicity. When she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her waist, he looked up for a moment. In the darkness he couldn’t see anything of her face, but he was sure she was smiling slightly.

“I’ve missed this.” she told him with a soft voice, barely above a whisper. “I had no idea how much I’ve missed this.”

Oliver didn’t think, he just reacted. He softly kissed her head and pulled her closer to his body, pressing her backside into his chest.  
“Me too.” he whispered into her hair before he pressed another kiss onto her head.

“Where does that leave us now?” she softly asked him, speaking out what Oliver thought about almost all evening.

“We’ll discuss that after you have talked things out with Eddie. Now let’s sleep, and don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” he assured her and pressed one last kiss into her hair before resting his head into the pillow again.


	26. Destination unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me a little longer to get this Chapter up. But I tried to make it up to you guys by combining two shorter Chapters into this one, ending up at 11k words. Hope you guys enjoy! :)

The next morning Felicity awoke to a slight snoring sound coming from the right side of the bed. She didn’t open her eyes though, she just listened to the grumbling sounds, smiling and remembering the first time she woke up to the exact same sounds in Marbella, and the exact same body pressed next to hers.

The snoring suddenly stopped though, and once she opened her eyes, she saw Oliver looking at her.  
“You are laughing. Why are you laughing?” he asked her with a sleep ridden voice that made her smile.

“Oh, I just remember that snoring sound from our first morning together, in Marbella. It’s nice to finally put a face to that terrible sound.” she laughed, earning a groan from Oliver, followed by a tickle attack to her waist. Felicity giggled and laughed, trying to free herself out of his grip, until she finally fell out of bed and fled into the middle of the room, catching her breath. Oliver sat up in her bed and smirked proudly at her and Felicity just sticked her tongue out at him. Oliver threw his pillow at her with a laugh and she caught it, throwing it back at him with full force.  
Instead of hitting him though, the pillow landed straight on her nightstand, kicking over the lamp in the process. Oliver burst out laughing and had to hold his stomach for a moment and even Felicity couldn’t hold back the laugh any more.  
“My god, you DO have a terrible aim, even with your eyesight!” Oliver laughed. “This reminds me of a certain washcloth incident at Caitlin’s Apartment.”

It took Felicity a moment, but once she remembered the day at Caitlin’s Apartment, where they spent their first time together away from Marbella, she had to smile. That was one of the precious memories she had stored away in her mind.

 

Laughing and giggling, she made her way to the bathroom to empty her bladder before she got in the kitchen to prepare them both a cup of coffee.  
Two steaming coffee mugs in hand, she entered the living room to see Oliver standing there, in nothing but his black boxer briefs and the surprisingly tight fitting Harvard Shirt, tousled hair and sleepy eyes. He smiled at her and Felicity was pretty sure she’d started blushing all over her face. She always admired how good his muscles and his body felt under the touch of her hands, but seeing said body first hand now, she had to admit that he looked just as good as it felt.

She caught herself staring before Oliver did though, and quickly handed him one of the coffee mugs. They both sat down on the couch, sipping on their mugs in silence, until Oliver grabbed the TV remote and started zapping through the channels.  
“Excuse me, Mister?” Felicity growled at him, unsuccessfully trying to snatch the TV remote out of his hands. “My Apartment, my rules!” she announced loudly, sending him an angry glare when he settled on a Sports Channel with a smug grin.

Felicity seemingly surrendered for a moment, letting her hands fall into her lap again. When she saw Oliver grin proudly and relax into his side of the couch, she gave it one last try. Out of nowhere, she jumped over him, trying to grab the TV remote that sat on the side cushion next to him. She caught Oliver completely off guard with that move and almost got ahold of the remote, when he suddenly grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, making her back land on the couch with a thud. Felicity stared at him with wide eyes, obviously surprised at his quick reflexes until Oliver leaned down to her. As soon as his nose was just inches from hers, her surprise was replaced by panic. Was he going to kiss her? Could she stop him if he did? Just when she thought it was about to happen, Oliver leaned down next to her, his lips hovering just a breath away from her ear. And then he spoke.

“Next time we’ll do this in my Apartment, and on my terms. And if you’re lucky, I’ll even let you pick the TV channel.” he whispered into her ear, his voice deep and raspy and Felicity instantly felt like she was on fire.

He moved back up a bit to look her in the eyes. Before Felicity could stop her body or talk herself out of it, she wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him close to her, pressing her lips firmly on his in the process. Both froze for a moment at the sudden contact and Felicity was about to pull back, shocked about herself at the bold move, but then Oliver started to relax into the kiss, pushing her head deeper into the couch cushions.

 

It felt like a switch had been turned for them. Felicity immediately felt pushed back into the past, to the last time she felt his soft lips on hers before all went down the shithole.  
Oliver felt relieved and happy. For more than 11 months he had been trying to find her, to win her back. Now that she lay under his body again, getting peppered with his kisses surely wasn’t what he had planned to do, but he would be an idiot to deny himself that opportunity.

 

Their kiss soon intensified and Oliver gently sucked on her lower lip, earning a soft moan from Felicity. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her parted lips and Felicity immediately responded. When she felt his strong hands fumble their way under her shirt, sliding up her ribs though, she pulled away, face completely flushed.  
“I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” she nervously babbled, trying to wiggle herself away from under him and off the couch. With a bright red face she straightened out her hair, cleared her throat and fled into the kitchen, too embarrassed to stay in the room with Oliver. As soon as she rounded the corner and he was out of sight, she steadied herself on the counter, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She shouldn’t have done that. She wanted to clear things up with Eddie first, she wanted to spend some more time with Oliver first.

 

Cursing her thoughtless acting, she didn’t hear Oliver entering the kitchen.  
“Felicity,” he began with a soft voice, but Felicity yelped to the side in surprise to see him standing in the door. She shook her head, too confused to say anything and too embarrassed to look him in the eye. She took a step back, deeper into her kitchen, to signal him she didn’t want to talk right now but rather brood over her actions a few minutes ago, but Oliver didn’t leave. Instead, he closed the distance between them, entered the kitchen and firmly pulled her in an embrace, pressing her small frame into his chest.

“Hey, it’s okay. Do you regret it?”

She shook her head. It was the truth, she didn’t regret it one tiny bit, but still felt guilty. There she was again, telling Oliver she tries to be better to end up kissing him on her couch just a few hours later. With Eddie in the back of her mind almost all the time, it was all a bit much to take for her at that moment. So she panicked… sort of.

“We still have plenty of time to talk about everything,” Oliver murmured into her hair and Felicity relaxed herself by listening to his strong heartbeat. “Don’t stress yourself. I’m not going anywhere, and for now just keep that amazing brain of yours on solving things between Eddie and you, then we can talk. Okay?”

Felicity nodded again. While listening to his words, something crossed her mind. The last time they had such a conversation it had been her giving Oliver reassuring words and helping him solve things with the Coast City Falcons and Isabel. Now Oliver kind of returned the favor by helping her solve things in her own life. And surprisingly enough, Felicity let him help her. Ever since she ran away there had been a handful of people trying to give her a lead, trying to help her keep her head above the water, including Caitlin, her mother, and Eddie. But Felicity never accepted any kind of guidance. Every time Caitlin told her she needed to let others help her, Felicity replied that she was the one that maneuvered herself into that mess she was currently living in, so she needed to get out of it on her own, too.

But with Oliver everything was surprisingly different.  
Standing in her kitchen after storming away from Oliver after the kiss, Felicity was confused and didn’t know what to do next. Should she go to the living room and ask Oliver to leave to clear her thoughts for a moment? Should she call Eddie and tell him what happened? Well, he basically ended things with her over the phone the night before, so why should she tell him? And she didn’t want to send Oliver away, in fact she wanted to storm back into the living room and repeat what they did a few minutes ago. Too many thoughts ran through her mind and Felicity lost the ability to keep her head above the water for a moment. A few days ago she was still living in her perfect bubble of a seemingly perfect life. Eddie by her side, Oliver on her mind, a job that she loved, living in a City she adored. It all sounded perfect, but of course bubbles like that explode after a while. Truth was, she expected it to happen way sooner already, so normally she shouldn’t be surprised at all at the mess her life was at that moment.

 

So having Oliver pressed to her body right now, feeling the warmth radiating from his chest and his soothing words mumbled into her hair, Felicity was glad Oliver offered her reassuring words and gave her a lead. Knowing he wouldn’t leave again made her relax, which was ironic considering she was the one running away from him in the first place. But the knowledge that Oliver loves her so much that he never stopped looking for her gave Felicity a new form of happiness.  
She could now focus on solving things between Eddie and her and then see where things between Oliver and her were standing. Obviously there was still a lot to talk about, but at least he promised her not to leave her again. Thinking about him leaving though, a thought came to her mind.  
“When does your flight leave to Starling City?” she asked him, looking up in his bright blue eyes.

Oliver checked the clock on the microwave.  
“In 3 hours. Which means I need to leave soon.” he sighed. Felicity only nodded and buried her nose in his chest.  
“Tell you what. You give me your current number and I’ll make sure to text as soon as I’m back in Starling. And once you have solved things with Eddie, or feel like needing to talk to someone, you call me. No matter the time, okay?” he told her with a smile and let go of her small body. Felicity stepped back, took a deep breath and nodded with a small smile.

“When will we see each other again?” she asked him, a question that actually worried her. Knowing he would have go back to his life in Starling City meant the possibility that Oliver could get doubts about the two of them, or about her in general. And she didn’t want that. Not after he just came back into her life.

“Let’s talk about that as soon as I’m back home. I don’t know my schedule for the next two weeks yet, but we’ll definitely work something out.”

 

When they got dressed and exchanged numbers, Oliver gave Felicity one last hug at the door and promised again to stay in touch with her before he went out the door. Felicity stared at her closed door for a few long moments before she decided to busy herself with homework so she wouldn’t completely freak out.

After cleaning the windows, vacuuming the entire Apartment, changing the bed sheets and tidying out her closet, Felicity took a hot bath. Eddie still hadn’t called and a few times she contemplated on calling him instead. But since he didn’t gave her a time when he’d be back home, she couldn’t do anything but sit and wait for his call. Part of her hoped it would never come so she wouldn’t have to have another conversation like she had over the phone, but the rational part of her brain knew there were still a lot of things they had to talk about, and Eddie didn’t deserve to be left with questions.

 

\-----------------------

 

When Oliver arrived at his Hotel and busied himself with packing up the few clothes he had brought to Vancouver, his phone started ringing.  
A smile played on his lips as soon as he thought about Felicity already missing him. He fished the phone put of his pocket, ready to accept her call and hear her voice again when Tommy’s face flashed up on the screen. Slightly confused and a bit disappointed he accepted the call.  
“Hey buddy, what’s up?”

“Just checking in with you, seeing how things are going with Felicity. You didn’t reply to the text yesterday, so I thought I’d give a call and see if everything’s alright with you or if that woman has drowned you somewhere.” Tommy half joked, but Oliver could hear the seriousness in his best friend’s voice. It had been like that for a few months. Tommy always supported Oliver when it came to Felicity and Oliver could certainly see that he missed Felicity just as much. But after a while, the support more and more changed to disappointment and even anger. Tommy never told him why, even when Oliver flat-out asked him why he suddenly was so mad at Felicity, when all his other friends just moved on and accepted the fact that she was gone. Not so Tommy. And especially the last few months had been tough between the two friends every time the ‘Felicity’ – topic came up. Tommy always supported Oliver, but not without a few harsh words here and there about the woman in question.

“Don’t say that, Tommy. We had a great time together and she’s really trying to do the right thing.” Oliver defended her and he could hear Tommy sigh slightly on the other side of the line.

"Buddy, I know there's a reason you haven't been with any woman since Felicity and that you have been looking for her for so long. That's why I'm telling you to keep a clear mind when it comes to her. I know you love and are ready to be with her. Everyone who has been around you the last months knows that. You just have to make sure she's on the same page as you are about that, especially after what you guys have been through the last year – or, well, what you have been through. She had made the decision herself, so I don’t have much sympathy for her about that." Tommy added with a light snappy tone.

Oliver sighed at that. He knew his best friend had a point; there was still the possibility that everything might repeat itself the first moment Felicity and him have to pass a bumpy road in their relationship. And he knew they needed to talk that out first.

"Don't get me wrong, buddy. Despite her shitty ability to make rational decisions in life, I love Felicity - as a friend, of course. And I think she's an amazing person, and pretty much the perfect match for you. But after everything that happened... Not trying to sound mean, buddy, but she's pretty messed up and she definitely needs to make sure what she really wants in life and if she's willing to fight for it. Especially with that new temporary boyfriend of hers in the picture now. Or however you want to call him. Point is, before you make a move on her again, Felicity needs to find out if she really wants to be with you and if so, if she's ready to be with you, no matter what. If she can't answer all these questions with a definite 'Yes', then I'm sorry buddy, but then she's not the right woman for you."

Oliver sighed again. "Could you tell her that, please?" he joked, making Tommy laugh.

"We're not on the best speaking terms right now, so I doubt me giving her relationship tips would be the best move, sorry."

“Well at least that boyfriend is out of the picture now.” Oliver added with a mumble while he closed his suitcase and pushed it off the bed.

“Wait, what? When did that happen? Did something happen between the two of you?” Tommy blurted out, eager to hear the story behind that. Oliver filled him in with all the details he knew about the break-up, even though Felicity didn’t tell him much. Tommy warned him once more not to rush things with her before Oliver had to end the call and catch a cab to the airport.

 

\-----------------------

 

It took Felicity another 2 hours of torturous waiting until finally, Eddie called her. She grabbed her phone within a second, ready to accept the call after she stared at the phone for over an hour, but decided to wait a few more seconds. She didn’t want to appear desperate or as if she had been waiting for his call.

Eddie only let her know he was back home now and she could come over whenever she found the time. The call ended as quickly as it began and Felicity thought about going over to his place immediately since she had been sitting on her couch, fully dressed, for a while now. Deciding to check on at her Coffee Shop first and grab a large cup of her favorite Coffee before she headed over to Eddie’s place, Felicity grabbed her keys and bag and went out the door.

 

She was able to kill almost 40 minutes since Eddie’s call until she knocked on his door. It took a few seconds but then the door opened and revealed a slightly tired out but other than that fine looking Eddie. She gave him a forced smile and he stepped aside so she could enter his Apartment. His suitcases still sat in the hallway, unopened. But there was another bag that Felicity immediately recognized, and it wasn’t Eddies. Apparently he had already packed up the spare clothes and toiletries she had left at his place.

Seeing the bag sitting there on the ground gave her a weird feeling. So Eddie was really serious about breaking up. Well, she couldn’t say she was disappointed, because it certainly made things easier for her, but it felt weird nonetheless.  
Taking a seat on the dining table, Felicity followed his motions and sat down opposite of him. An awkward silence fell over them and Felicity was glad she could busy her hands with the coffee cup so Eddie wouldn’t see her fidgeting fingers. They both stared at each other, nervously, expecting the other to start the conversation.  
After a moment, Eddie let out a nervous laugh.  
“We’re being crazy right now, aren’t we? I mean, look at us… after our conversation on the phone yesterday most things have been said already and yet here we sit, nervously fidgeting around, not knowing how to start the dreaded talk.”

Felicity laughed slightly. And Eddie was right. The ‘worst’ stuff had been said already, so what was there to be nervous about?  
She took a deep breath before she answered, calming herself.  
“I never meant to hurt you, Eddie.” she told him with a low voice and as soon as she saw the small, but honest smile on his lips, she realized that he apparently wasn’t as angry with her as she thought he would be. He didn’t seem like he was about to say anything or interrupt her, so she continued. “When I first came to Vancouver, I had it planned out so perfectly. Find a job, spend some time with old School friends, maybe even settle down here. But I surely never planned on meeting someone, not after what happened in Starling City.”  
Thinking about the first weeks in Vancouver made her sigh. Everything was so brand new to her and since she just had her eyesight fully back for a few weeks, she decided to make the best of it and give life a new try in Vancouver. Never had she guessed she can’t ever run away from her old life back then.

“What happened in Starling City?” Eddie suddenly spoke up, ripping Felicity out of her thoughts. “I know we never talked about your life before Vancouver, but I don’t think there’s a better chance to talk about it than now.” he smiled at her.

Felicity thought about that for a second. Eddie was right, he at least deserved some form of explanation, especially after she kept him in the loop for so long. And since she didn’t have to fear any more of ruining anything because their relationship was pretty much over and Oliver was pretty much in her life again, she decided not to avoid being truthful with him any longer.  
“I messed up. Big time.” she laughed ironically. “I was in a relationship but have been a total idiot, freaked out over something stupid, panicked before he could explain, and I ran away. And on top of that I dodged every attempt of him to get in touch with me after that.” Her head dropped for a moment, staring at the cardboard coffee holder that had frayed edges from her fidgeting by now.

“So that guy’s name you mumble in your sleep – Oliver? Is he that guy you ran away from?” Eddie asked, trying to put together the pieces that Felicity had tried to hide from him for several weeks. She nodded slowly, never looking up from the coffee holder.

“Do you regret running away?”

 

She carefully contemplated her answer to that. Yes, she did regret running away, pretty much from the first day she did, and even more so the more time had passed. But if she told Eddie that, it would also tell him that she never had honest intentions with him throughout their relationship. And truth was, when she met Eddie and started spending time with him, she missed Oliver a little less.  
“Yes, I regretted that decision. I still do. But I don’t want you to think that I wasn’t honest with you when I met you, Eddie! I wasn’t trying to play you around or something. You actually helped me regret my past decisions a little less because you made me think about them a little less.”

“But still that wasn’t enough.” he quickly added with a sad smile.

“I’m sorry.” Felicity whispered, trying to force back a tear that threatened to form in her eye.

Eddie slowly reached over the table and took ahold of one of her hands, squeezing it gently. “I know, Felicity. Like I said yesterday, I think you are an amazing person and it’s not in your nature to be dishonest. But allow me one question… why didn’t you just go back to him?”

“It’s not that easy.” Felicity immediately replied.

“It is always easy.” he answered with a smile. “It just takes the right amount of confidence.”

Eddie didn’t ask any more questions about Felicity’s past after that or wanted to know anything about Oliver, which Felicity was very grateful for. They talked about the way their relationship developed or, didn’t develop and why; and Felicity was stunned that Eddie was so understanding and calm with her. Her biggest fear had always been hurting Eddie by either telling him the truth about her feelings, or by breaking up with him, but somehow he must have sensed something wasn’t right all along. Why he agreed on a relationship with her, or pushed her to start one with him in the first place, she didn’t know. But in the end, she was just happy that he wasn’t upset or mad with her and she actually had the chance to stay friends with him, at least on a distant basis for now.

 

When Felicity arrived home, packed with two bags full of clothes from Eddie’s place, she fully realized for the first time how much her life had changed in the last few days. And even though she feared that change only would mean hurt and broken feelings, she was pleasantly surprised how well everything went. Oliver was back in her life, something she would have never dreamt of. Eddie and her ended their relationship but stay on friendly speaking terms, and no one seemed to be upset with her or accused her of making the wrong choice. Apparently changes didn’t only mean pain and hurt.

Thinking about changes turned her thoughts to Oliver. He was probably the biggest change in her life right now and he wasn’t even fully in her life again. But now that Eddie and her had cleared things up, she could finally focus on the main man in her life, Oliver.

 

With a smile on her face, she pulled out her phone and speed-dialed his number. He picked up after the 2nd ring, even though he sounded quite out of breath.  
“Hey,” he spoke up as soon as he answered the call.

“Hey,” Felicity replied and as soon as she heard his voice, a broad smile spread out on her face. “you said if I’d ever need someone to tell how my day went, I could tell you, right?”

“Sure.” Oliver replied and Felicity could hear his heavy breathing and a machine running in the background.

“Are you on the treadmill?” she suddenly blurted out.

“Yeah, but as long as you do the talking, I’m fine.” Oliver laughed slightly between breaths.

 

Felicity told him about her conversation with Eddie and how smooth it went despite her hesitations. Oliver could hear how much more relaxed she sounded and while he ran mile over mile on the treadmill while listening to Felicity tell him about her day in a super relaxed voice, like they have never been separated from each other, he felt fully at ease again for the first time in almost a year. Things weren’t like he wanted them yet, but at least everything was heading in a good direction with Felicity again.

 

 

A week went by and Oliver and Felicity stayed in touch at least once a day. She usually sent him a short text shortly before she started her shift, and Oliver usually called when he got home in the evenings. Thea also sent her wishes, demanding to speak to Felicity soon as well, but Felicity didn’t want to do that over the phone. She wanted to apologize in person to the younger Queen that had become a very close friend of hers in the few months Felicity spent in Starling City. She felt sorry for running on Thea so all of a sudden, without another word or a short explanation, just like she did with Laurel. Ever since Oliver came back into her life, he inevitably made her think of all the other people she had left behind in Starling City without a word of explanation or even a goodbye, and she was sure to make it up to everyone of them in due time.

Oliver often talked about coming to visit her, but due to his tight work schedule they always had to delay. Felicity sighed, but accepted that. He even offered her once to pay for a flight ticket and take her to Starling City so they could spend time together, but that didn’t feel right to her. After Oliver cut ties with his family and had to step back from his professional career as a Quarterback, funds were a bit tighter than they had been before. And since he didn’t want to give up on his pretty expensive Apartment, Felicity knew he didn’t have the cash to throw around at the moment. He offered to ask Tommy for the Jet, but Felicity felt uncomfortable taking up on that offer, since she hadn’t talked to Tommy and cleared things up with him yet.  
So they needed to re-schedule a few times and stick to texting and face-timing.

 

Two weeks later, Oliver finally managed to get the weekend off and told her he’d be visiting her again. It had been 6 weeks since he had left Vancouver for the first time, and things between them had been getting better and better. Felicity felt a lot like her old self and Oliver enjoyed having her around in his life again, even if it was via phone only for the moment. Even his coworkers and former team members at the Starling Archers saw the change in his whole demeanor. He was a lot more relaxed, less broody and most of all, he was well rested since he didn’t have to spend every minute of his spare free time looking for Felicity.  
Even Tommy saw the change. And even though he was still grumpy about Felicity’s behavior with him after their phone call, he was happy for his best friend.

 

The nearer the weekend came, the more excited Felicity got. She had two weeks off work, meaning much more time to kill than on a normal workday. After she had cleaned up her entire Apartment on Monday and went for a shopping trip that made her feet ache on Tuesday, Felicity ran out of ideas on what to do with the rest of the week.

On Wednesday, Caitlin gave her a call and Felicity was actually very surprised to hear from her best friend. They hadn’t talked much over the last few weeks, just some texts from time to time, letting the other know how things were going. Caitlin had a lot of stuff going on at the moment, too, and Felicity knew that not hearing from her best friend for a while was pretty normal. Since she and Ronnie had bought a House together and were still in the process of clearing out their own two Apartments, plus a change of Job for Caitlin, Felicity knew that her best friend had other things on her mind, so she didn’t bother much.

She hadn’t told Caitlin yet that Oliver was back in her life though, and it made her nervous thinking about how her best friend would react. Caitlin got to meet Eddie once, and immediately liked his nice and friendly behavior, and she was the one who encouraged giving it a try with him in the first place. So Felicity was still hesitant to tell her that things with Eddie didn’t work out but that Oliver was back in her life again – as friends, at least, for now.

So when Felicity saw Caitlin’s face pop up on the screen of her phone, her eyebrows shot up slightly. Caitlin would have texted if something was up. Felicity quickly accepted the call though.  
“Hey Cait, how are you doing?”

“Fee, so cool to hear your voice again! It’s been to loon since we last talked!” Caitlin replied with a smile in her voice, making Felicity curious what could be the reason for the call.

“Likewise. What’s up?”

“I wanted to invite you to my birthday Party on Saturday!” Caitlin announced with a happy voice.

Caitlin’s birthday! Oh crap, Felicity had completely forgot about that!  
“Oh right!” she replied, trying not to sound too surprised. “So you’re celebrating?”

“Yeah well, since it’s my 25th and Ronnie and I are pretty much done with the house, we thought it would be a nice idea to combine my birthday with a little housewarming Party. And you and Eddie are invited, of course.” Caitlin smiled into the phone, but Felicity’s breath stopped for a moment at the mention of Eddie's name. “No, scratch that, you’re not just invited. I expect to see you guys here.” she quickly added with a laugh.

“Uhm,” Felicity began, but Caitlin cut her off.

“Don’t tell me you don’t have time, sissy! I know you have two weeks off work, I already talked to your boss to make sure you would be free this weekend! No more excuses, Madame!” Caitlin laughed.

“Oh, that’s not what I wanted to say, Cait. It’s just –“ Felicity began again, unable to find the right words, “Eddie and I aren’t together any more, so…”

“Oh!” was the only thing she heard from Caitlin after a few moments of utter silence, followed by an “Are you okay, honey?”

Felicity laughed slightly. That’s the Caitlin she loved. Always concerned about her friends before asking for more details.  
“Yeah, I’m fine. We’re both fine, actually. But uh… could I…” Felicity mumbled around, suddenly too nervous to ask what she had on her mind. “Could I bring a Plus 1 anyway? I mean, I would love to come to your Party, of course, but to be honest, I already had the weekend planned otherwise. So if you would be okay with it, I would bring him with me to your Party.” she hesitantly asked her best friend, nervously chewing on her lower lip as soon as she finished her sentence.

“Him?” Caitlin asked with a smirk that Felicity could hear through the phone. “Is this _‘him’_ the reason for the break-up between Eddie and you, maybe?”

“No, things between Eddie and me weren’t improving, so we ended it.” Felicity replied. That was pretty much just the basic outlining of the true reasons for their breakup, but she didn’t want to tell her best friend yet that the real reason for their break-up was partially due to another man in her life. A man that Caitlin knew quite well already. That was a story to tell in person.

Caitlin thought about Felicity’s request for a moment.  
“Sure, bring him over. As long as he behaves normally and won’t mess around with the other guests, I’m fine with that.”

“Wow, Cait… I’m not dating a monkey.” Felicity half mocked with a laugh. “Interesting to hear that you think I could be dating un-mannered assholes and bring them with me to crash your Party.” she laughed.

“Oh, so you’re dating already?” Caitlin suddenly asked and Felicity could practically see her waggling her eyebrows with a grin.

“I have no idea what it is between us, yet. Guess time will tell.” Felicity shrugged, surprised about the truth in that answer.

 

Caitlin gave her a few more details about the Party, about the other 40 guests that would be there, about their new House and how much better her new Job was. They talked for almost an hour before Caitlin had to help Ronnie and end the call. After scribbling down the address to their Home, Felicity started browsing the Internet for cheap flights to Los Angeles.

She booked two tickets to LA, not bothering to ask Oliver about it first. If she would have, he would’ve tried to find excuses on why not to go, so she decided to do the planning for now. He had left the planning arrangements for the weekend to her hands, after all. With a content smile on her face she printed out the two tickets to LA and pinned them on her fridge.  
Now the weekend could come.

 

On Friday afternoon, Felicity steered her car to the airport to pick Oliver up. He may have said he would take a cab, but since the drive to the airport was a short one, she decided to surprise him. As soon as he stepped out of the Arrivals area, he spotted her, dressed in a black loose skirt, blue chiffon blouse and blue Heels that made her look a lot larger than she actually was. She was grinning at him like a Cheshire cat and Oliver could only shake his head with a laugh when he closed the distance to her. He immediately pulled her into a hug, realizing that she was a lot less shorter with the Heels than she normally was. He liked it, especially since he had never seen her wear Heels before due to her broken foot.

 

The entire drive back to her Apartment with Oliver crammed into her small passenger seat of the tiny Mini Cooper, Felicity kept a mischievous grin on her face. He wondered what was going on with her, but since she was in such a good mood, he didn’t question it any further. Maybe she was just happy to see him again.

One thing that occurred to Oliver as soon as Felicity parked the car in her spot and they grabbed his stuff from the trunk was that he hadn’t booked a Hotel Room yet. They hadn’t talked about sleeping arrangements for the weekend yet and if Oliver was being honest, he hoped Felicity would let him stay at her place. And now that they headed upstairs, loaded with his bags, Oliver realized that he needed to address that topic soon, before it became awkward.

So as soon as she opened the door to her Apartment and they stepped inside, Oliver cleared his throat.  
“Uhm, I didn’t know if I could stay here with you for the weekend, so I haven’t booked a Hotel room yet. But I could totally do that now, no problem!” he quickly added and watched Felicity’s face change from confused to a broad smile.

“Of course you’re going to stay here!” she smiled at him. “Well, in fact, we’re both not really going to be staying here at all.” she quickly added with a grin.

Now it was Oliver’s turn to stare at her, completely confused.

“I completely forgot Caitlin’s birthday on Saturday. Luckily, she called me two days ago and told me she’ll be throwing a Party. And I may or may not have booked two tickets to Los Angeles for tomorrow morning.” Felicity put on her best puppy dog eyes and blinked at him a few times, but Oliver kept looking at her, completely confused.

“Hold on,” he started after a moment, and Felicity practically could see him thinking. “Caitlin’s birthday is this weekend.” Felicity nodded shyly. “And she invited us to her Party.”

“Well, me, but I asked her if I could bring a Plus 1, which would be you, of course. Hence the two flight tickets.” she waggled her eyebrows.

Oliver looked at her for a moment, processing what she just told him before he sighed and rubbed his forehead.  
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Felicity.”

“It is a brilliant idea and that’s why I already booked our flights. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, no back talk!” she told him with a firm voice and a pointed finger, always keeping a smile on her lips though. Oliver nodded in defeat. That wasn’t exactly how he had planned his weekend with her. He wanted to take her to a fancy restaurant and spend a relaxed evening with her on her couch. He even researched various Websites for the best Restaurant in Vancouver, just so he wouldn’t have to rely on Felicity anymore and could actually surprise her. Now Felicity, or, more precisely, Caitlin, hat thwarted his plans. But he was going to make the best of it anyway.

He had to admit though that it made him proud Felicity asked Caitlin if she could bring a Plus 1 and immediately thought of him. She could have easily cancelled the weekend with him and visited her friend alone instead. But her decision just showed Oliver that Felicity really started to think things through and not just act on impulse like she often did in the past. Making a mental note to pay her back for his flight ticket, he followed her out of the Apartment. They still needed to find a birthday present for Caitlin.

 

After an afternoon of shopping and another few hours of preparing the gift, they ended up with a huge basket, filled with various items Caitlin could use in the kitchen, on her body, and as decoration for the house. Oliver told Felicity if she couldn’t decide between two items, she should purchase both. So she did. The basket ended up so big that it needed to travel as checked baggage.

Since their flight was scheduled for 11am, Felicity and Oliver called it a night as soon as they were finished wrapping up Caitlin’s gift. Oliver still had his bags sitting in the living room, since they were taking them back to the airport the next day anyways, and when Felicity slipped into the bedroom to change into her sleep shorts, Oliver also grabbed his shirt padded to the bathroom.

He was ready to make himself comfortable on her tiny couch, when Felicity stepped out of her bedroom and stared at him for a moment.  
“What are you doing there?” she asked him, clearly confused, while Oliver unfolded one of her pink blankets and wrapped it over the couch.

“Preparing my bed?” Oliver replied, sounding more like a question than an actual statement.

“Well too bad, because I’ve already prepared one for you.” she winked. “Besides, I doubt your gargantuan body will fit on this thing – or you won’t be able to move a muscle tomorrow because you’ll be sore as hell. Believe me, I must know. I’ve spent countless nights on that terribly uncomfortable couch.” she added before she turned around, looking back over her shoulder. “Are you coming, or do I need to give you an extra blanket?” she smiled at him and entered her bedroom. Oliver followed her without another word, the couch long forgotten.

 

As soon as they settled into the mattress, keeping an awkward distance between them, Felicity turned off the light on her nightstand. Oliver lay on the side, facing her, while Felicity looked up at the ceiling of her Apartment, feeling Oliver’s intense stare, but suddenly too nervous to look back. Her heart was racing and her fingers nervously fidgeted with the blanket. This was the first night with Oliver she was spending as a free person, not having someone else in her life any more. And it suddenly made her nervous as hell.

Oliver sensed her nervousness, or maybe he could hear her racing heart, she had no idea, but he suddenly scooted closer to her, took her hand in his and pulled her in a hug. Felicity immediately wrapped her arm around him and inhaled his masculine scent. They had only briefly touched and hugged once since she had picked Oliver up at the airport, and neither knew how to make a right move. It had been an awkward dance around each other all day, but at that moment, it just felt right. So Felicity tightly wrapped her arm around him and held onto him for several minutes, trying to make up for all the months she wanted to wrap her arms around him, but couldn’t. Oliver peppered her hair with kisses and gently stroked her back with his free hand, calming her racing heart.

They stayed like that until Felicity could feel her shoulder and arm become numb. She regretfully let go of him and turned onto her other shoulder, facing away from him. Oliver immediately scooted closer to her and wrapped an arm over her waist, spooning her in. It took them both only a few moments until they fell asleep.

 

 

As soon as they exited the Cab and stepped towards the front porch of Caitlin’s new home, Felicity realized that it may have been a bad idea not to tell Caitlin who would be her Plus 1. Oliver, dressed handsomely as ever, carrying the large gift basket, was just as nervous, even though Felicity had more problems hiding her nervousness than him. What if Caitlin didn’t want to see Oliver? Or worse, what if she didn’t invite him in? Then Felicity would leave as well, no doubt. She would hand Caitlin the gift, and they’d just leave. Well, hopefully that wouldn’t happen.

Felicity cleared her throat, gave Oliver a last reassuring look, earning a small smile and a nod from him, before she rapped her knuckles against the wooden door twice. Music and the voices of various people were coming from the inside until Felicity could hear footsteps nearing the door.

 

The door opened and a smiling Caitlin stepped out, but as soon as she spotted Oliver standing behind Felicity, her smile turned into a confused stare, looking from Oliver to Felicity and back to Oliver until Felicity pulled her out of it.

“Hey, birthday girl!” Felicity smiled and wrapped Caitlin in a tight embrace.  
When both women took a step back, Caitlin turned her attention to Felicity’s Plus 1.

“Oliver,” she spoke with a calm voice and a blank face, looking directly at him.

“Happy birthday,” he replied with a nervous voice, taking a step towards her so he could hand her the gift basket. That seemed to do the trick. Caitlin accepted the basket and didn’t say anything further before she invited them both in. Without thinking about it, Felicity grabbed Oliver’s hand, interlaced fingers with him and followed Caitlin inside.

After a brief tour through the main floor of their home, they followed her into the large garden.  
Most guests had already arrived and had taken seats all over the backyard and Pool area. Felicity greeted the few she recognized and found a spot to sit down with Oliver near the Pool. She never let go of his hand, using him to calm her still somewhat nervous mind while Oliver kept rubbing small circles with his thumb over the back of her hand.

Ronnie came around after a few moments and Felicity introduced Oliver to him. Both men immediately settled on a discussion about Sports, giving Felicity the chance to excuse herself from them for a moment. She went inside and looked for Caitlin, still feeling the need to talk to her about Oliver and the fact that she brought him as her Plus 1.

Caitlin busied herself in the kitchen, preparing another tray of Champagne flutes when Felicity entered.  
“Hey,” she began and peeked her head into the spacious kitchen. Caitlin looked up and gave her a small smile. “The house is incredible, Caitlin. And so much bigger than your Apartment.” Felicity smiled while she fully entered the kitchen. Caitlin didn’t reply but only nodded her head slightly in agreement.

“Why didn’t you tell me Oliver was your Plus 1?” she suddenly asked after she grabbed another bottle of Champagne from the fridge. “Since when did you guys started seeing each other again, anyway?”

Felicity looked at her best friend’s very confused and exhausted face. She could see Caitlin wasn’t happy with Felicity’s choice of company and she made sure to try and convince her best friend that she wouldn’t get hurt again.  
“A few weeks ago he suddenly showed up at the Coffee Shop,” Felicity began and started fumbling with the cork of one of the Champagne bottles. “He begged me to give him a few minutes to explain everything to me and I did. You know it wasn’t his fault that I ran, it was my own. You even said so yourself, Cait! And the more time I spent away from him, the more I realized how much of an idiot I was. So when he showed up after all this time, I couldn’t just ignore him or send him away. So we talked.” She stopped for a moment, looking up at Caitlin to see the confusion replaced by a tiny bit of understanding on her face. She knew Caitlin knew she was right. Many weekends after Felicity had left to Vegas to live with her mother were packed by the two talking hours over hours on the phone, sometimes about Ronnie and how in love Caitlin was, but most of the time it was about Oliver and her.

Caitlin studied Felicity’s face for a few seconds before she spoke.  
“So that’s why Eddie and you broke up?”

Of course Caitlin would ask that. It would have been the first thing that would’ve come to Felicity’s mind as well, had Caitlin been in this situation.  
“Yes and no. Oliver was never really out of my life, at least not in my mind and my heart. I just kept it hidden far away. And I know it wasn’t fair to Eddie; it wasn’t even fair to myself. So ending things with him was inevitable and actually long overdue. Oliver coming back in my life didn’t do anything to that decision, other than helping me seeing things clearer.” Felicity smiled at her friend, hoping Caitlin could see it that way, too, and don’t give Oliver all the blame for something he wasn’t at fault for.

“I know, honey. I wasn’t trying to sound like Oliver’s a bad guy, it was just… surprising to see him with you at our door, after all that time.” Caitlin told her best friend with a warm smile when suddenly, the doorbell rang, pulling both women out of their conversation.

Felicity took the tray with the Champagne flutes from Caitlin’s hands.  
“I’ll take this out to the garden and you go answer the door.” she smiled and made her way back to the yard with a smile.

 

Felicity was happy to see Oliver and Ronnie still deeply engaged in a conversation, this time with more men around them, though. The topic still seemed to circle around Football and the fact that Oliver used to play for the Starling Archers, so Felicity didn’t do much but only slapped Oliver’s butt slightly while she passed him with the Champagne tray. Oliver looked around in surprise to see a grinning, giggling Felicity move away from him. She was about to put the tray down at a table, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice nearing the backyard. As soon as she spotted Caitlin, Felicity froze for a moment.

“Mom? What are you doing here?”

“I invited her, of course.” Caitlin replied with a grin.

“My baby girl,” Donna replied and wrapped her daughter in a tight embrace. For a moment it could have been unclear who might be the birthday girl that day, with Donna squealing and jumping around with her almost motionless daughter in her arms. Sure, they hadn’t seen each other for almost half a year, but that didn’t mean Donna needed to make a scene on Caitlin’s birthday Party. In her backyard, filled with people Felicity barely knew, or didn’t know at all.  
“Mom, you can stop now. People are staring.” she mumbled into her mother’s hair while Donna kept whirling her around.

After a few minutes, Felicity managed to free herself from her mother and take a step back to catch her breath. Donna had spotted another person she apparently hadn’t seen _in forever_ , so Felicity was happy to see someone else being crushed by her mother. When she turned around, she realized Oliver had seen the whole encounter with her mom. She walked over to him, grabbing two Champagne flutes in the process. She handed him one and exhaled slightly before she took a first sip from her own.  
“So… that was my mother.”

Oliver raised his eyebrows slightly. “I didn’t expect her to be so – “

“Girly and way too squealy for her age?” Felicity finished for him with an eye roll between sips on her Champagne.

Oliver laughed slightly. “That’s one way to say it, but yeah. She seems nice.”

“You only say that because you haven’t talked to her yet and she didn’t have the chance yet to interrogate you. And trust me, it will happen. No matter how much you try and avoid it.” she told him with a firm voice, making Oliver laugh slightly, even though he was immediately scared for the conversation that now seemed to be inevitable, with Donna Smoak also at the Party.

 

When Felicity excused herself to the bathroom, leaving Oliver engaged in yet another conversation about Sports with Ronnie and their neighbor; she took her time finding the right room in the large House. With most of the guests sitting outside and Caitlin nowhere in sight, Felicity had the chance to fully explore the house and all the pictures Caitlin had put on the walls in the hallway. There was even a picture of her, hanging upside down on the couch in Caitlin’s old Apartment, a giant sized Martini glass in hand. She had to laugh at the memory of that night; both girls were completely wasted and spent the following two days in bed, fighting their headaches.

 

Oliver excused himself from the group of men and went to the Bar to pour himself another Drink. Just when he finished filling his glass, he saw Donna nearing the bar, an empty Champagne flute in hand. Since she apparently had no idea who he was, she just smiled brightly at him like she seemingly did with everyone else at that Party. Oliver immediately grabbed a filled Champagne flute from the tray beside him and handed it to her with a smile.  
“Why thank you, handsome man.” Donna smiled at him when Ronnie called from the other side of the garden.

“Oliver! Could you bring Travis and me a beer too, please?”

Oliver gave him a thumbs up and started looking for the bottles when he felt a pointed finger waved in his direction, accompanied by a pair of two sharp, blue eyes. He looked up from the bar after he put two bottles down, trying to find the bottle opener.  
“You’re Oliver.”

He had no idea what to reply to that and took a confused look to his right and left side before Donna continued speaking.

“Felicity’s Oliver. Of course you are! I have seen you holding hands with her earlier!” Donna announced a little louder this time. Oliver still had no idea what to reply and secretly hoped, Felicity would return from the bathroom soon so she could save him.  
“Are you mute?” she asked him after a moment, obviously surprised that Oliver hadn’t said a word yet. "God, please don't be mute, that would make this conversation crazy awkward." Donna half mumbled, making Oliver laugh.

“No, no I’m not.” he smiled. The small woman in the bright teal form fitting dress and the wavy, platinum blonde hair actually surprised him. On the outside she couldn’t be more different than her daughter, but they obviously shared the same genes. He liked it, even though he had no idea how much Donna knew about him and if she’d even approve of him.  
“I’m sorry, normally I’m not so reticent.” he said, putting down the beer bottles and offering her a hand. “Hi, I’m Oliver.”

Donna immediately shook his hand and pulled it close to her, making him bow down a bit in the process.  
“You and I definitely need to have a conversation.” she almost whispered, at least low enough so other Party guests wouldn’t hear. Oliver gulped. That had been the thing he was most concerned about. He never got to meet Donna when Felicity and him were still dating, and now, after so much had happened between them in over a year, he was scared what her mother might think of him.  
“You go deliver those beers, I’m going to fine a quiet place to sit and talk.” Donna told him and her firm voice coupled with his fear of the conversation that was about to come made it unable for Oliver to argue with the blonde woman in front of him. So he only nodded, pulled his hand out of her grip and grabbed the two bottles from the Bar. He didn’t even get the chance to grab his own drink before Donna snatched it from the counter, already making her way into a more secluded area behind the Pool. Oliver watched her leave and could feel his nervousness rising. The last time he had been so nervous was when Laurel’s father found out Oliver was dating his daughter. And that had been almost 10 years ago. Shaking his head, he handed the beers to both men and made his way through the crowd of people and over to the other side of the Pool. For a moment he wondered where Felicity could be, but since he couldn’t find Caitlin either, he guessed the girls must be catching up.

 

Donna was sitting on the Hollywood swing, her High Heels dangling off the ground, Champagne flute in hand. Oliver slowly closed the distance to her and was greeted with a small smile and a pat on the seat next to her, just like a mother would do. He slowly sat down and watched the crowd of people in front of them for a moment. People were walking around, standing in groups, chatting, dancing, some were crowding the Bar and Buffet. Getting away from all the noise for a moment was actually a good thing, he realized.

“So you're the Oliver my daughter is head over heels for.” Donna suddenly spoke up, pulling Oliver out of his thoughts, making his head snap around to face her.  
“Nice to finally meet you in person, all I've heard about you so far was what my little girl mumbled in her sleep, and trust me, most of it didn't make sense." she joked, making Oliver laugh as well.  
“I have to say, I’m surprised to see you with her here today. Last thing I heard was that she ran away to a new life because she couldn’t stand living her old one without you in it.” Donna bluntly told him and caught Oliver completely off guard. No one, especially not Felicity, had spoken so directly about her time away after she ran from Starling City. Oliver knew she regretted it, and he could even somewhat understand her decision to move to Vancouver, but hearing the explanation so bluntly right now really made things different.

“A lot of things happened since Felicity left Starling City,” he began, “and I don’t know how much Felicity told you, but I can tell you that I never stopped looking for her. And I never stopped loving her, not one day.” He looked Donna straight in the eyes while he spoke, still seeing a little restraint in her eyes, but most of all, sympathy. She watched him for a moment, studied his face and whole expression before she smiled, took a sip from her flute and set it down on the table next to the swing.

"You know, Oliver, Felicity is a lot like her father. And I'm not only talking about that genius brain of hers or her stubbornness sometimes.” Donna laughed slightly. “Her father left us when she was a little girl and she never understood the reasons behind it, just that he was gone all of a sudden and never returned. He had money problems and apparently messed around with the wrong people. And when everything threatened to crash down on him, he just eloped. Running away from everything must have been so tempting that he even accepted to leave his only daughter and wife behind. Me, I could understand. But Felicity? She has always been Daddy's girl and still he never even considered finding another way to solve his problems. He just ran.” Donna sighed, looking down for a moment, obviously lost in her own thoughts about the past.  
“Felicity is a lot like him. She has always been. One time in Elementary School some jerks made her the butt end of their pranks for almost a week. And when they hid her clothes in a different locker after gym class, forcing her to leave the gym in nothing but her underwear, she was so embarrassed that she ran away and hid in our neighbor's horse stable for 4 days. I've never been this scared in my life again. When we found her, she was a mess. Poor girl was crying all the time, refusing to ever set foot into that school again."

Oliver listened closely, anger at the kids that did that to Felicity already building up in him.  
"My point is, Oliver, Felicity is very fragile, even if she appears strong and tough on the outside. Don’t let that confidence and toughness fool you. Plenty of times I caught her in her room, crying silent tears, but when she entered the living room 10 minutes later, all smiling and tough, you would have never guessed she might have been crying before. It always broke my heart but the times I tried to talk to her about it, she closed herself off and refused to speak to me. And I must say her insecurities have only become worse since she started dating. Every boyfriend she had - even though she always tried to hide this stuff from me - had betrayed or hurt her of some sort. And after every relationship she became more fragile and insecure. And as a mother you ultimately ask yourself if you have failed your kid because you can’t protect her from the bad things happening in this world.”  
Donna smiled sadly, and Oliver had to force himself not to reach over and grab her hand in reassurance.  
“ I know that she asked Caitlin once if it maybe was her own fault these things happened to her. It almost broke my heart when Caitlin told me.” Donna said, her voice coming out more broken than she wanted to.

"Is there anything I can do to make it better? To give her a feeling of security, so she won't have to be afraid I might leave her or hurt her? Because I won't. She's the best thing that has happened to me all my life. I just want to take away that fear from her but have no idea how." Oliver frowned with a sigh.  
Donna smiled warmly at that. She didn’t know Oliver well, besides the small snippets she caught during the time Felicity lived with her, but she could see that the man sitting next to her right now was an honest one. And she could see that he really loved her daughter.

“If I knew the magical solution to all of Felicity’s fears, I would have tried and used it years ago.” Donna laughed slightly, wiping the single tear that formed under her eye. “I guess the only advice I can give you would be to show her how much you love her, make her fully believe in it. I don’t think she loved you less when she was living with you in Starling City than she does now. I just think it wasn’t the right time yet. She wasn’t ready. That’s why she got scared away so easily. And maybe her blindness affected more than just her eyesight at that time. But there’s no doubt that she loves you, so all advice I can give you is to hold on to that, and give the same love in return.” Donna smiled.

 

Oliver was happy the conversation hadn’t turned into an interrogation and that Donna seemed to be such a caring and warm-hearted person. It made him immediately relax into the conversation the more Donna told him. But it also reminded him of his own mother, and how bad things were between them at the moment. He didn’t talk to Moira a lot; and even though Thea updated him on things going on at Queen Mansion from time to time, he kind of missed his mother. It also made him wonder if Moira and Donna Smoak would get along. They obviously were two very different people, coming from different worlds. He never liked to use that term, but with his mother and Felicity’s mother it was the complete truth.

After a while Donna spotted Felicity walking around the garden, obviously trying to find Oliver. Donna frantically started waving and squealing next to Oliver, making the swing rock back and forth in the process. Felicity’s face went completely pale when she spotted Oliver and her mother sitting together on the Hollywood swing, but as soon as she saw Oliver’s relaxed posture and a hearty laugh coming from his lips, she knew things seemed to be okay.

 

Felicity managed to squeeze herself between the two people on the swing and immediately got asked a bunch of questions by her mom. With Felicity so engaged in the conversation with her mother, Oliver excused himself for a moment. He went to look for Caitlin who was busy clearing out empty plates from the buffet. He wordlessly helped her carrying the plates to the kitchen and pull out filled ones from the fridge.  
“Hey, uhm… would you be okay if Felicity and I left early tonight? I mean, not within the next few hours, just… we wouldn’t be staying overnight. Are you okay with that?” he hesitantly asked Caitlin, trying not to sound like he wanted to rip Felicity away from her after they hadn’t seen each other for so long.

“Yeah, sure.” Caitlin shrugged. “Actually, I would have had to ask you guys to move to a Hotel anyway, with Ronnie’s parents and my cousin staying in our guest rooms tonight. So… sure.” she smiled and Oliver could see it wasn’t one of these fake smiles that people often put on out of politeness. Oliver nodded with a smile and helped her getting the food plates out to the Buffet before he pulled out his phone and went back into the kitchen to make a phone call.

 

The more the evening progressed, the more Donna and Oliver laughed together. Most of the guests had said their goodbyes already, leaving the group to Ronnie and his parents, Caitlin, Felicity, Donna and Oliver, who were all sitting around the fireplace, sharing embarrassing stories about their childhoods.

Donna also left the Party shortly after. Since her boss only gave her one day off and she had to take the early shift the next day, she needed to catch a good amount of sleep at the Hotel before heading back to Vegas. After pulling both Felicity and Oliver in a strong hug, she left the Party as well.

When Caitlin let out a yawn and told the remaining group she would head to bed as well, Ronnie’s parents also excused themselves for the night. Oliver took the cue and got up as well, earning a confused look from Felicity.  
“Come on, we’re heading out as well.” he smiled at her and offered his hand. She looked up at him, then down at his offered palm, then to Ronnie, who just shrugged.

“So we’re not staying here?” she asked, clearly confused.

“Oh, didn’t Caitlin tell you?” Ronnie suddenly started, making her head whip around. “Since Amber stays overnight as well, we’re running out of guest rooms. I actually thought she had told you. Guess there was just a lot on her mind the last few days. I hope that’s okay? There are a few excellent Hotels a few miles down the road, I’m sure one of them still has a room for two available.” Ronnie offered.

“I’ve got that covered already, no worries.” Oliver smiled at him and waited for Felicity to take his outstretched hand. She reluctantly got up, said her goodbye to Ronnie and followed Oliver to the door. Both men patted their shoulders slightly, promising to meet again anytime soon. Felicity took the time and quickly scribbled down a note for Caitlin, thanking her for the lovely day and congratulating her on the amazing house before she went to the door and grabbed their bags.

 

As soon as Oliver and Felicity stepped out the house, their small suitcases in hand, she turned his attention to him.  
“So you booked us a Hotel?”

“Not exactly.” Oliver grinned when he stopped in front of a rental car.

As soon as Felicity spotted the black car, her eyebrows shot up. Oliver could see her thinking, trying to figure out what he had planned. When nothing but confusion covered her face after a few moments, he shook his head with a smile and explained.

“We’re driving to Starling City.”


	27. it's always sunny in Starling City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to apologize for not updating this Story sooner. I'm currently caught up with 3 different Stories, one of them my NaNoWriMo Novel, so the two Stories here on AO3 kind of lack behind. I'm really sorry for that.
> 
> This Chapter is Part one of a 2-part thing, and the next one should go up by the end of next week, latest.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy. Thea is such a fun character to write! :)

As soon as Felicity spotted the black car, her eyebrows shot up. Oliver could see her thinking, trying to figure out what he had planned. When nothing but confusion covered her face after a few moments, he shook his head with a smile and explained.  
“We’re driving to Starling City.”

The confusion was immediately replaced with total shock. Felicity clearly didn’t expect that. With a smile, Oliver grabbed her suitcase and loaded the car while Felicity stood frozen on the spot, staring at him, unable to say something. It was a rare sight to see her so speechless, and it made Oliver laugh out loud.

He had to actively shove her into the passenger seat so they could start their drive. Felicity still hadn’t said a word but at least her mouth was closed by now. She kept staring blankly at Oliver, probably trying to figure out how she was feeling with it. After a few minutes of silence, and 15 miles down the road, Oliver spoke up, never looking at her though, always keeping his eyes on the road.  
“You know, I had a great conversation with your mother today. She made me understand a few things about you. So I decided to take matters into my own hands for now, especially since you already did so by purchasing two plane tickets.” he added with a straight face and looked at her for a second, pointing an accusing finger right into her face. “That’s why I booked us a rental car and drive us to Starling City now.”

Felicity stared at him for another few moments, before she spoke up.  
“But –“ she started to protest, but Oliver cut her off immediately.

“It’s time to face your fears, Felicity. That’s why I’m taking you to Starling City. You didn’t just run away from me; you ran away from Starling, from everyone around you, from your old life there, only because you were scared. And I’m going to show you that your old life wasn’t that bad at all. There are people who miss you, people who would love to meet you… and there’s me.” Oliver smiled and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently. “And a certain coworker of yours accidentaly told me you’re having another week off work, so we have plenty of time to spend together in Starling.” he grinned.

 

Felicity looked out the window into the darkness passing them by with rapid speed. She knew Oliver had a point. And even if her old friends didn’t miss her as much as Oliver tried to make her believe, they all at least deserved some kind of apology. Tommy, because she promised to call him again and never did after their only phone call. Laurel, because she didn’t even have the balls to attend her wedding and left her alone with all the preparations a few weeks before the big day. And Thea, because she left the younger Queen without a single word of explanation, lying to her over the phone by telling she would come back, when Thea gave her a call a few days after she had left Starling City. Plus, she knew Barry still lived there and since he only had the chance to visit her once while she was still in Vegas with her mom, Felicity missed her cousin, too, dearly.  
“I’m scared to go back.” Felicity sad in a thin, low voice, so silent that Oliver almost didn’t hear it.

“I know, angel wings. But I promise it’s going to be okay. Trust me?” he asked her, squeezing her hand in reassurance. Felicity only nodded, caught in her own head for a moment.

 

They passed the City sign of Starling City at 4 in the morning and as soon as Felicity spotted it on the side of the road, her entire body went stiff. She tried to make out any forms or shapes of the landscape passing by, knowing she had been there before but not really being there at all. It felt like coming back to a place she had never been before. Oliver took a few turns and side roads until they entered an underground parking garage. The sound of the roller door opening the lower parking lever made Felicity’s head snap up. She remembered that sound! Oliver sensed her nervousness and gave her a small smile.  
“Relax, it’s okay.”

He quickly parked the rental car next to a white Porsche convertible and as soon as Felicity got out of their rental car, she stared at him wide eyed.  
“Yeah, that’s mine. It’s unlocked, hop in if you want to.” he smiled at her and went to unload the suitcases from the car. Felicity took a step towards the car, slowly opened the door and let her fingers roam over the soft leather of the passenger seat. As soon as her fingertips touched the seat, it felt like a flashback, taking her to the first time she sat in that seat. Oliver was taking her to Starling City in the middle of the night, after the fallout with her mother. At that time, Felicity had no idea how much of a help and support Oliver would be for her in the future, but she was thankful for the distraction and the distance from Los Angeles for a while. Spending time with Oliver was a nice bonus, of course.

So when she touched the seat of his Porsche, letting her fingers roam over the soft leather, Felicity realized how much time had passed and how much she missed her life with him, more than she was ready to admit during the last year.  
Oliver watched her for a moment with a smile on his face, arms crossed over his chest, while Felicity slowly, very slowly strode around his car, trying to memorize all the things from last year.  
“Let’s go upstairs.” he told her with a gentle tone, ripping her out of her thoughts. “I don’t know about you but I’m tired as hell.”

Felicity smiled and nodded and followed him through the building. Looking around it all felt insanely familiar but yet so new. As soon as they arrived at the front desk, the bellman greeted them with a wide, surprised smile.  
“Miss Smoak, wow, it has been a while! Good to see you again!” the man told her and got up from his chair, momentarily ignoring Oliver standing next to her. When he saw Felicity’s confused look, his smile softened a bit. “You can’t remember me, do you?”

“I assume I met you… here… last year?” she tried with a shrug, making both Oliver and the other man laugh slightly.

“I’m Tom.” he smiled and could see the moment Felicity remembered him.

“Oh my god, of course! Now I remember the voice. Well it’s good to finally put a face to it.” she smiled and when Oliver cleared his throat, turned his attention to him again.

“Let’s head upstairs, shall we?” he asked with a smile, making Felicity smile and nod.

 

As soon as they stepped into the elevator, Felicity felt the tension and nervousness creep up in her. She was going to be in his Apartment again, though it still felt like the first time. Oliver seemed to sense her tension and wrapped her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. The elevator doors opened and Oliver stepped out, but Felicity hesitated for a moment. Could she do this? Stepping out and into his Apartment would mean stepping back into that life. Into her old life, that she ran away from all these months ago.  
She would have never thought she’d be able to return here, not out of her free will. But now, with Oliver back in her life, very much so, it suddenly felt like she could manage that. Taking a deep breath, she slowly stepped out of the elevator and followed him down the hallway. Oliver gave her a quick smile and turned to open the door to his Loft.

 

Stepping inside, Felicity realized the Apartment was a lot different than what she imagined. She got a good impression from walking around, getting a feel for everything, and the way Oliver described things to her. But seeing everything in person now made her realize that indeed his Apartment was a lot more roomy and comfy than she would have imagined.

The large couch in the living room instantly caught her attention and she remembered sitting there many times. With a small smile on her face she turned and took in the rest of the main level. Oliver went to retrieve the bags from the elevator while Felicity slowly walked around the Apartment and checked everything out. When he entered the living room again, their bags shouldered, he saw Felicity standing at the stairway, eyes closed, taking a deep breath. Her hands went out in front of her and she slowly began walking forward, nearing the kitchen counter. Oliver watched her, fascinated and curious what she might be up to. As soon as she reached the kitchen counter and the bar stools, she started counting them. At the third, she stopped, opened her eyes and looked at him.  
“I sat here every morning.” she announced and Oliver gave her a smile and a nod.

“Hey… let’s finish the grand tour tomorrow, shall we? You look like you’re tired and I know for a fact that I am.” he smiled at her and motioned for her to follow her upstairs.

 

As soon as they reached the bedroom, Felicity stopped and gave Oliver an uncertain look. He seemed to immediately sense her hesitance, and turned to face her, door handle still in hand.  
“Would you rather take the guest room? Thea’s sleeping there, but she hasn’t been home in a few days, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” he offered her but Felicity shook her head.

“No, I… it’s all just a little overwhelming, that’s all. If you feel comfortable letting me sleep with you, I’ll gladly do.” she smiled at him.

Oliver’s eyes lit up, his smile widening, before he nodded and opened the door to his bedroom. He didn’t turn on the light, just stepped inside and shrugged off the bags in front of the bed. He turned on the bed lamp and immediately began kicking off his shoes. Felicity followed him inside, feeling nervous all of a sudden. It had been over a year since she last slept in that bed but still it looked so familiar.

“Wow,” she breathed out a little louder than she intended to, making Oliver turn around and look at her. “this is… it feels so weird right now. Like it’s the first time I’m in your bedroom, but I know it’s not. I even remember touching everything, or the side I’ve slept on. But now it all gets so much clearer, with being able to finally put a picture to everything.” she told him and Oliver went over to her and pulled her into a hug.

“Come on, let’s get some sleep. I have a few things planned for tomorrow.” Oliver kissed her head and ushered her to the bed before Felicity could send him a confused stare. Oliver slipped into the bathroom while Felicity started digging through her bag to find her sleeping clothes.

When he emerged a few minutes later, dressed in nothing but his black boxer briefs, Felicity had the first chance to fully take him in and appreciate his lean, well muscled body. But she could also see the long scar that ran over his shoulder, the last remnant of the accident that had him end his Career. When Oliver saw her staring, he smiled slightly and took a step closer to the bed.  
“You’re staring.” he chuckled and walked over to his side of the bed. As soon as Felicity realized she had indeed been staring at him – and he caught her – her cheeks turned into a deep red blush. Pulling her sleep shorts and shirt closely to her chest, Felicity hurried into the bathroom, keeping her head down.

Oliver watched with mild amusement while she fled the room and patiently waited for her to return. It took her only a few minutes until the door opened again and Felicity stepped out.  
It wasn’t the first time that Oliver saw her in her sleeping clothes and it wasn’t the first time they shared a bed since he came back into her life either, but it was the first night that they were both free people, Felicity not being in a relationship with someone else any longer and as soon as she shut off the light in the bathroom and stepped closer to the bed, the air between the two shifted.

Oliver could feel her tense up slightly before she lifted the sheets and crawled under it. Oliver had taken up his usual side on the bed and as soon as Felicity laid her head on the pillow beside him, her heart started racing.  
He relaxed on his side, facing her, while Felicity stared up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths to calm herself. Oliver slid his fingers under hers that rested next to her, making her heart race only faster.  
“Why am I so nervous?” she whispered and could feel her palms sweaten. “It all feels like the first time, which is ridiculous.”

“Doesn’t sound so ridiculous to me.” he whispered back and interlaced his fingers with her. “Maybe it’s like a fresh new start… if you want that.”

With a racing heart Felicity looked over at him and stared him deep in the eyes.  
“I’ve done so many things wrong between us and I… I’m sorry if I hurt you, Oliver.” she told him, swallowing down the lump that formed in her throat. “I want to make things right between us this time, but the truth is… I’m scared to mess it up again. I’m scared as hell. I don’t exactly have the best record of normal, healthy relationships, so all this is kind of new to me. And I’m so scared to mess things up again.” She confessed, her throat getting tighter and tighter with every word she spoke, tears dwelling up in her eyes.

“Hey, hey…” Oliver almost cut her off and pulled her in a tight hug, pressing her face firmly onto his chest while he peppered her head with kisses.

“Damn,” she told him with a small smile while she wiped away the last tears from her cheeks. “I’m supposed to be the strong one now, after all the time I had to reflect. And yet you’re the one holding me – again.” she laughed slightly, making Oliver smile as well.

“You’re still one of the strongest people I know, Felicity. But there’s nothing wrong with showing some weakness in a relationship every now and then.” he smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “And now let’s sleep. I don’t want Thea to get a false impression if she sees us both with raccoon eyes tomorrow morning.” he chuckled but Felicity’s head shot around at that.

“Thea’s coming over tomorrow?”

“Yup. I invited her over for breakfast. She doesn’t know you’re here, though.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? How am I supposed to sleep now, forcing my brain to come up with a proper apology and explanation to Thea until tomorrow morning?” she asked him, her brows furrowed, eyes a little panicky. Her whole posture made Oliver giggle.

“Oh, did I forget to tell you? Hm… sorry. But you’re gonna be fine. Just like I was when you basically dragged me to Caitlin’s Party.” he winked, earning a huff and an eye roll from her.  
“Good night, Felicity.” he whispered with a kiss to her cheek before he dimmed the light on his nightstand and snuggled into the sheets, spooning her in the process.

 

The next morning Oliver was the first one to wake up. Felicity was still fast asleep and Oliver took the time watching her, studying the face he’d missed for so many months, now sleeping next to him again, with a contempt smile on her face. He realized he had never paid attention to the small freckles on her nose, or the way her brow seemed to tick upwards from time to time in her sleep. And the more he watched her, the more he realized how much he actually missed the love of his life, lying beside him.

As an old saying goes _’If you watch people in their sleep, they’ll wake up.’_ Oliver watched Felicity for a few more minutes until her eyes slowly fluttered open. She blinked at few times, letting her eyes accommodate to the sunlight shining through the curtains until she saw Oliver looking at her.  
"Good morning, sleepy head." he mumbled with a smile while Felicity rubbed her sleepy eyes. "God, you're so adorable when you wake up."

Felicity blushed and was about to hide her face under the sheet, when Oliver grabbed her face and pressed his lips firmly on hers. After the initial surprise, Felicity responded quickly and what started out as a sweet, tender peck on the lips quickly turned into a heated, passionate kiss, both giving as good as they got, pouring the desire of the past 12 months into the kiss.

None of the two wanted to end it, but when they both needed a moment to breathe,Oliver pulled back from her lips slowly, letting them linger on hers for as long as he could.  
"I told you I would kiss you again," he breathed out and rested his forehead on hers, eyes closed while he spoke, "and I promised you that when I did, I would never let you out of my life again. Nothing and no one can take you away from me again, Felicity. I’m not going to let that happen."

Felicity slowly opened her eyes and stared into his deep blue pools. They were still a bit sleepy, and glistened with a hint of arousal, but most of all she could see pure love in them.   
"I love you. So, so much." she told him and pulled Oliver down into a strong hug, letting him almost tackle her into the mattress.

"We really have to get up if we don't want Thea to find us in a precarious situation." Oliver laughed while Felicity tried to tickle his sides, but failing badly. "So you either stop now, or I'll drag your sleepy ass with me under the shower." he laughed, making Felicity look up with a slightly quirked eyebrow.

"Is that a promise?" she asked him and the glint in her eyes made him groan. "Hey, it has been one year since I last...you know. I deserve to be sexually frustrated and make innuendos about it. As far as I remember you made them all the time." she laughed and slapped his thigh before she wiggled away from under him and off the mattress and with a swift move, pulled the sleep shirt over her head, leaving her in nothing but her black sleep Shorts and panty. Giving him a mischievous grin and her eyes fixed on his, she hooked her fingers under the waistband and slowly slid them down her legs, earning a deep growl from Oliver.  
Tossing the clothes in his direction with a wink, Felicity turned on her heel and marched into the bathroom with an extra sway of her hips, slapping her own butt with a smirk over her shoulder before she closed the bathroom door behind her.

Oliver stared at her for a few moments, complete surprise mixed with amusement covering his face while he gripped her sleep shorts tightly.  
“That woman!” he mumbled to himself with a shake of lead and a smile on his lips.

 

Thea was, as usual of course, 15 minutes early, which made Felicity almost trip over her own feet when she heard the Main door open and Thea’s bubbly voice calling out Oliver’s name.  
Oliver gave her an amused grin and watched her panicked face while Felicity started running through the bedroom.  
“I’m not even ready, Oliver!” she called with a stressed voice, dashing to the bathroom to finish her hair into an at least half decent look. Going down with a towel turban was totally unacceptable to Felicity. Not with fashion icon Thea waiting downstairs, even if the younger Queen had no idea Felicity was there as well.

“Will be down in 5 minutes, speedy. Get the coffee maker ready!” Oliver called downstairs and returned to the bathroom.

“You have 5 more minutes.” he told Felicity with a grin and watched her pluck in the blow dryer. “And if you don’t want Thea to get suspicious, I’d suggest you don’t use this thing now. Because she’ll hear it. And I don’t use a blow dryer.” he grinned and with another wink, was out the door again. Felicity quickly looked at the blow dryer in her hand and then back to the closed bathroom door. Oliver was right, if Thea heard the sound of it, she’d get suspicious and would probably come upstairs to check if Oliver had a woman with him. And that would spoil the entire ‘grand entrance apology’ Felicity had planned for Thea half the night before she fell asleep of exhaustion.

With a sigh, she put the dryer away and started towel drying and combing her hair. When she left the bathroom, Oliver was already sitting on the bed, waiting for her.  
“Ready?” he asked her with a smile and intertwined fingers with her.

Felicity took a deep breath and nodded. “As ready as I can be.”

 

When he left the bedroom and stepped out into the hallway, the smell of fresh coffee already greeted them.  
“Speedy?” Oliver called and pulled Felicity behind him the first steps down the stairs.

“Kitchen!” came the reply and as soon as Felicity heard Thea’s lively voice, she stopped, pulling on Oliver’s hand to stop him. When he turned his head and gave her a confused look, he saw Felicity’s lips tightly pressed together and her eyes full of uncertainty.  
“Maybe you should go alone first.” she whispered to him and pulled her hand out of his grasp.

“Chicken.” Oliver grinned at her before he turned and jogged down the steps, greeting his sister in the kitchen.

 

With a hug and a kiss on the head he greeted his little sister. “Hey, Speedy.”

“Where have you been all weekend?” she asked him and took a sip from her coffee mug, watching Oliver walk through the kitchen, pulling out another mug.

“I was out of town.” was the only reply he gave her, but the small smile on his face told Thea more than he wanted to give away.

“Out of town, huh?” she quirked an eyebrow at him and when she realized he was pouring another cup of coffee, she went to stop him.

“What are you doing? There’s a cup already waiting for you. Right beside the Croissants that I brought.” she asked him with a slightly confused look.  
Oliver gave her a wide grin and put the coffee mug on the empty spot next to them before he sat down opposite to his little sister. With Thea’s back to the stairway she had no idea what made Oliver smile so broadly.

“I want you to meet someone.” he announced and out of the corner of his eye he could see Felicity walk down the stairs on tippy toes.

Thea’s surprised look and raised eyebrows made him laugh only more.  
“Wait, you met someone? Are you seriously telling me you’re dating again?” she asked him, totally surprised by her brother’s sudden announcement.

Well,” he chuckled and when he looked directly at Felicity standing a few feet behind them in the living room, Thea’s head shot around to see who he was looking at.

 

As soon as the two women spotted each other, Thea’s face completely froze in shock. Felicity had no idea what to say or do in that moment, and her feet felt like unable to cooperate. But when Thea shot up from her chair, stormed over to Felicity and hugged her, so strong Felicity had trouble breathing, it felt like words were coming back to her slowly.  
“I’m so sorry I never called or texted you Thea! There hasn’t been one day I didn’t want to call you. I was just too much of a coward.” Felicity admitted, tears threatening to find their way down her cheeks and into Thea’s impeccable hair styling.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” Thea whispered, not daring to loosen the hug. “And you can see again!” she suddenly announced in surprise, leaning back slightly so she could look Felicity in the eyes, earning a smile and a nod from the blonde woman in her arms.

“For half a year now, more or less.” she told her.

Thea pressed her face back into Felicity’s neck and hair, never letting go of the blonde.  
“Isn’t it weird seeing me now, after you were only able to hear me rambling all the time last year?” 

“Not weird. It’s great seeing you. I missed you.” Felicity smiled.

 

Oliver watched the scene with a warm smile on his lips. The two most important women in his life were finally reunited. Deep down he knew Thea would never be mad with Felicity, even though she didn’t understand the reasons why Felicity ran away and left them all without another word. Thea knew Oliver was trying to find her, actually everyone of his close friends knew that, but Thea had been the only one who supported him all the time, no matter what. Oliver knew it hurt her that Felicity left without at least one last phone call or an explanation to Thea, but he also knew how much Thea missed her friend.

 

After what seemed hours to them, the girls slowly let go of each other and Felicity gave Thea a warm smile.  
“So you’re not mad at me?”

“Oh I definitely am,” Thea announced with a huff and both women went to sit at the table where Oliver already waited for them, “and you need a damn good explanation to why you ran on us like that, all of a sudden, but right now, I’m only happy you’re back.” she smiled and quickly looked at Oliver and then back to Felicity. “Wait, you will stay, right?”

Felicity cleared her throat and looked down at her mug for a moment.  
“For now, just for a few days. I have a job I can’t dismiss for too long. But I promise I’ll definitely stay in touch.” she smiled at Thea before she grabbed Oliver’s hand and squeezed it, sending him a quick, shy smile that Thea caught as well.

“So you two are a thing again?” she asked, her face full of excitement.

“I don’t know,” Oliver began and looked straight at Felicity. “Are we?”

“We are.” Felicity replied with a honest smile on her lips.

They both stared at each other for a long moment, completely ignoring their surroundings or the lively, younger Queen almost bouncing up and down on her chair. 

 

When a flashlight pulled them out of their thoughts, they both looked over to see Thea grinning widely, her phone in hand.  
“I’m so going to send this to Laurel. She’ll freak out knowing you’re back!” Thea babbled more to herself than the two people sitting opposite of her while she furiously typed down a message on her phone.

“No!” Felicity interrupted her with a panicked face and was about to pull the phone out of Thea’s hand when the younger Queen looked up in surprise.

“Felicity wants to tell Laurel and Tommy in person, like we did with you.” Oliver tried to explain, hoping Thea would understand. When Thea’s face changed from confused to relaxed, Felicity allowed herself to breathe again as well.

“Laurel’s gonna be so pissed.” Thea grinned proudly and stuffed her phone away in her pocket, making Felicity gulp.

Truth was, Felicity didn’t expect any of Oliver’s friends - THEIR friends - to be happy and giggly seeing her back after one year of no contact at all. But after Thea was so enthusiastic and didn’t yell at her at all, Felicity allowed herself to hope the other conversation with Tommy and Laurel would go as smoothly as well, even though she already knew Tommy probably would be really mad with her.  
As for Laurel, she had no idea how the brunette would react, but factoring in the pregnancy hormones Laurel had running through her body right now, Felicity really dreaded the conversation. Pregnant women tend to be impulsive, and an impulsive, angry Laurel was the least thing Felicity wanted to encounter.

With Thea’s comment about Laurel being really mad at her, Felicity felt the lump in her throat forming again, the one Thea managed to loosen just a few minutes ago.  
Oliver, instantly sensing Felicity’s sudden tenseness, gently squeezed her hand in assurance.  
“Relax, it’s going to be fine, Felicity. Thea was just joking, right?” Oliver told her, turning his attention fully on his little sister while he spoke, his face serious.

“Oh she’ll definitely be pissed.” Thea smirked at her brother. “But I’m sure both Tommy and Laurel will be happy to know you’re back.”  
Felicity gulped and nodded but was too lost in her own thoughts to say anything.

 

After they finished their breakfast, the Croissants on the table long forgotten, all three settled on the couch where Felicity answered Thea each and every question the younger Queen asked. Oliver remained silent almost throughout the entire conversation but always held Felicity’s hand or gently stroked her back.  
“Why Vancouver? Out of all Cities in the world?” Thea asked her while sipping on her second cup of coffee.

“I don’t know,” Felicity shrugged. “An old High School friend got in touch with me while I was with my Mom in Vegas and she invited me over for a visit. And since I didn’t have anything else to do anyway, I flew over there, and instantly fell in love with the City. I told my friend about my accident and everything and she suggested a fresh start in Vancouver, even offered to find me an Apartment, telling me I could easily find a job there and well… the rest is history, I guess.”

“But you could have found a Job and an Apartment here as well. I could have helped.” Thea replied and the slight sadness that Felicity could hear in the younger Queen’s voice made her frown. Thea apparently had missed her more than she would have guessed.

“It’s not that easy, Thea. Believe me, more than once I thought about just coming back.” Felicity replied with a supportive smile.

“Then why didn’t you?”

At Thea’s direct question, Felicity could feel not only Thea’s eyes on her, but Oliver’s as well. They had talked about everything many hours already, but Oliver never so bluntly asked Felicity anything like Thea did. Oliver had always been more gentle, more around the bush than Thea was. And for the conversation they had, Oliver’s behavior really helped Felicity to keep herself together.  
But now that she sat opposite to Thea and had to answer her questions, Felicity realized that there indeed were some things on Oliver’s mind he hadn’t asked her about, at least not so directly.

Gulping down the small lump in her throat, Felicity looked over her shoulder to Oliver sitting behind her, gave him a very quick, small smile and turned her attention back to Thea in front of her.  
“Honestly? I was scared you would hate me for running away. I was scared you all had moved on and didn’t want anything to do with me any more. I was scared Oliver might have moved on and started dating again; that I was coming too late. After I ruined everything by running away, by letting my fears take over, I was too scared that if I’d come back after a while, I would have to realize first hand that I indeed had ruined everything.” Felicity confessed with a frown, her head bowed down, too ashamed to look the younger Queen in the eyes.

Thea didn’t say anything for a long moment, just took in everything Felicity had just confessed before she leaned over and hugged her.  
“I would have never forgotten you, or replaced you, Felicity. You’re irreplaceable.”

“Did you really think I could have moved on and started dating again?” Oliver suddenly announced from behind Felicity, making Thea loosen the hug and Felicity turn around to face him. As soon as she looked up into his face, seeing the real concern in his eyes, Felicity blushed and nodded shyly.

Oliver instantly wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. Felicity had told him about her fears of coming back to Starling, but she hadn’t confessed before that part of her fear was seeing him with another woman by his side. But then again, he had to admit, coming to Vancouver to find her and the first thing he hears is that she is in a relationship hadn’t been very pleasant either. Considering Felicity’s broken and fragile state when she ran away from Starling City, he could now totally understand her reluctance to come back.

“When are you going to meet Laurel and Tommy?” Thea interrupted the couple once more, instantly turning Felicity’s attention to the younger Queen.

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know I would be coming to Starling City 24 hours ago.” she told Thea but sent Oliver a hard stare over her shoulder, making him grin profusely.

“We’ll meet them for Dinner later.” Oliver announced, making Felicity’s head whip around in complete shock and if Oliver would have been able to, his grin would have gotten even wider.


	28. Reservations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new Chapter, enjoy! :)
> 
> And thanks for being so patient with me, I really appreciate that! :)
> 
> This Story should be 4, maybe 5 more Chapters and we're done (I still can't believe it! :D )

“When are you going to meet Laurel and Tommy?” Thea interrupted the couple once more, instantly turning Felicity’s attention to the younger Queen.

“I have no idea. I didn’t even know I would be coming to Starling City 24 hours ago.” she told Thea but sent Oliver a hard stare over her shoulder, making him grin profusely.

“We’ll meet them for Dinner later.” Oliver announced, making Felicity’s head whip around in complete shock and if Oliver would have been able to, his grin would have gotten even wider.

“What? Oliver you can’t be serious! I don’t even have come up with ANY kind of apology for Tommy, let alone Laurel!” Felicity told him, her voice clearly stressed and exhausted. “Hell, I don’t even have a dress for a Dinner!”

“I think I can help with that.” Thea announced with a wide grin, instantly hopping up from the couch, dragging Felicity with her to the guest room, leaving a laughing Oliver behind on the couch

 

“Thea, I have no idea what to say to Laurel… or Tommy.” Felicity announced with a sigh when she tried on the 5th dress Thea handed her.

“It’s gonna be fine, Fee, trust me. I highly doubt Laurel will make a scene at a public Restaurant.” Thea joked and helped Felicity straighten out the dress and closing the zipper.

“Yeah, but they could just get up and leave. Or even refuse to sit down as soon as they see me. Especially Tommy, since I never called him back.” Felicity mumbled the last part but Thea, standing right behind her to fix the neck closure, instantly caught it.

“What?” she asked and spun the blonde woman around in her arms, making Felicity face her. “You guys talked before? After you left?”

Felicity nervously bit her lip. “Yeah, shortly after I arrived in Vancouver, I called him. I don’t even know why I did it, but we talked for a few minutes. He told me that you guys all miss me and that Oliver keeps looking for me, that he was trying to find me. He didn’t have much time though since I caught him right before a Meeting, but he made me promise to call him again soon.”

“You never did, though.” Thea finished for her and Felicity looked away for a moment before nodding in defeat. “Why not?”

Felicity sighed and took a seat on Thea’s bed, thinking about the day she talked to Tommy and the way she felt after it.  
“I don’t know. Honestly, I thought speaking to Tommy would make me feel a little better, maybe help me to make the right decisions - or even better decisions. But after we ended the call, I felt so overwhelmed and shaken up; it didn’t have the effect I was hoping for at all. He told me Oliver still loved me and missed me, like everyone else did, too. And I sat on my couch in Vancouver, not knowing what to do. It freaked me out more than it helped me. I had finally begun a new life and I really liked it, but then Tommy tells me how much Oliver missed me and that he was still trying to find me and all that. I don’t know, in my stupid little brain I probably hoped Oliver had moved on already, making the decision for me easier to cope with. It was my decision after all, but that doesn’t change the fact that it was the most stupid decision I have ever made.” Felicity laughed slightly while she wiped away a tear from her cheek with the tissue Thea handed her. “I guess that one phone call brutally showed me that everything wasn’t so perfect with my ‘new’ life like I pretended it to be. And that’s why I never had the guts to call again.” Felicity looked into her lap while she spoke, seeing the crumpled tissue in her hands before Thea patted her knee lightly in reassurance.

“Well, that explains Tommy’s sudden change of attitude at some point whenever Oliver talked about you.” Thea suddenly spoke up, making Felicity look at her in confusion.  
“Tommy had always been very supportive and helped Oliver looking for you. Even after all of us accepted the fact that you were just gone and didn’t seem to come back. But after a while, Tommy’s opinion suddenly changed. Rather drastically. At first I thought he was just tired and finally accepted that you were gone, but then I heard the snappy comments he started making about you and it had me wonder. I mean, no offense, we all have been angry at some point, some more, some less, but after so many months of helping Oliver he then suddenly starts hating you? That didn’t make any sense. Now, it kind of does. Seems he was just angry that you promised to call him but never got back to him or any of us after that.” Thea shrugged but pulled Felicity in an apologetic hug.  
“Don’t worry, I’m sure Tommy will understand once you explain everything to him. And now get your lazy ass up, you’re wrinkling the dress!” she called out with a smile and pulled Felicity up from the bed.

 

2 hours later, Thea left the Apartment, but not before she exchanged phone numbers with Felicity and told her, with a hard voice and an even harder stare, that she expected at least one text message per day as soon as Felicity left for Vancouver again.

“See? That didn’t go so bad, did it?” Oliver smiled and pulled her into a hug as soon as Thea closed the door behind her and left them alone in the large Apartment. Felicity nodded after a moment, smiling back to the closed door where Thea just left through.  
Oliver was right, the entire morning went better than Felicity could have ever imagined. But then again, this was Thea they were talking about. It could have either went very good, or incredibly bad, if Thea had decided she hated Felicity. Luckily, quite the opposite was the case and after just one hour of talking, especially when the women went upstairs and were alone, Felicity felt like she had gotten not only Oliver back in her life, but Thea as well. And it felt quite good and gave her strength.  
“Now, for the stunt you pulled this morning,” Oliver suddenly announced, ripping her out of her thoughts when he gripped her legs and pulled them around his body, turning her and pressing her back against the wall in the hallway. Felicity yelped in surprise and gripped his shoulders for support, until he gave her a mischievous smirk and pressed his lips firmly on hers.  
“No one gets to slap that ass but me.” he told her with a low, growly voice between kisses and the low timbre of his voice made Felicity’s skin tingle.

Stepping closer to the wall, Oliver pressed his body even tighter into hers, letting her feel the full extent of his arousal through his Jeans. Felicity wrapped her legs firmly around his hips and gave just as good as she got.  
When Oliver’s hands slid under the hem of her Shirt though, Felicity stopped him.  
“Oliver… We should wait.” she breathed out. “I want to take my time with you and you made the reservation for 7pm.”

Oliver groaned and reluctantly pulled away.  
“I know.” he sighed. “I just can’t take my hands off you now that I have you back in my life.”

Felicity answered that with a warm smile, feeling her heart flutter at Oliver’s sweet confession. It wasn’t that he didn’t show her his affection and love with everything that he did, but after not being able to hear it for almost a year, denying herself the chance to be with him, she wouldn’t get tired hearing him say it out loud.

 

Getting ready for the Dinner date with Tommy and Oliver turned out to be a real struggle for Felicity. Even though Thea had helped her with the dress already, there was still the task of getting hair and makeup done. And, Felicity realized that fairly quickly, putting on make up with shaky fingers was nearly impossible without smearing that damn stuff everywhere but on the lashes.

In the end Oliver almost had to shoo her out of the Apartment so they wouldn’t be late.  
Felicity had never been late, not even to a simple Lunch Date with Thea. But the fact that it took her so long to get ready and the way she nervously fidgeted with her coat while Oliver steered the car to the Restaurant told him how nervous she apparently was.  
“Relax, everything's going to be fine, no one’s going to rip your head off.” Oliver assured her with a smile and soft squeeze of her hand. Her palm was completely wet and for some weird reason she was even more nervous meeting Laurel and Tommy now then she was meeting Oliver for the first time after he walked into her Coffee Shop. The possibility that two of his best friends could hate her for what she had done made her so nervous she almost fainted. If Tommy and Laurel wouldn’t accept her apology, it would definitely complicate Oliver’s and her relationship. And she didn’t want that. Not after almost 1 year of complications and trouble.

Oliver opened the car door and led her out before he grabbed her hand, interlaced fingers with her, pressed one last reassuring kiss on her forehead before he turned on his heel and walked into the Restaurant.

Laurel and Tommy were already waiting in the far corner, but from the way they adjusted their seats, Oliver guessed they must have arrived just minutes before them.  
As soon as Felicity spotted them, she stopped walking for a moment. Laurel looked absolutely gorgeous, the pregnancy making her almost glow with beauty, while Tommy looked as handsome as ever. The small smile that crept up Felicity’s face as soon as she saw Laurel and her not-so-small baby bump, turned into a frown when she spotted Tommy.

Oliver gently tugging on her hand pulled her out of her thoughts though and she reluctantly followed him through the Restaurant, almost trying to hide behind his large body so neither Tommy or Laurel would spot her sooner than she’d like.  
“Hey, buddy!” Tommy loudly announced with a grin as soon as he saw Oliver nearing the table. Laurel sent him a warm smile and already heaved herself out of the chair to hug Oliver, getting a helping hand from her husband, when Felicity stepped out of her hiding behind Oliver and walked up next to him.

“Hey,” she spoke up with a very shy voice before she nervously bit her lip, awkwardly waving her hand at the two.

Both Laurel’s and Tommy’s heads shot up at the voice they hadn’t heard for so long - and surely didn’t expect to ever hear again. As soon as they spotted Felicity standing next to Oliver, they froze in their tracks. Laurel plopped back onto her chair, never keeping her eyes off Felicity, while Tommy’s eyes switched from Felicity to Oliver after a moment.

The longer the silent staring went on, the more uncomfortable Felicity started to feel. This couldn’t end well, she knew it. And she surely didn’t want to upset Laurel, not with just a few more weeks of her pregnancy to go. She already caused everyone at the table so much grieve in the last year, she absolutely had no intentions adding a preemie to that.  
Felicity was about to pull her hand out of Oliver’s grasp, excuse herself and just storm out of the Restaurant, when finally, Laurel broke the silence.  
“Felicity, what... I mean, how... what are you doing here?” she asked her and Felicity let out a breath of relief when she heard no anger but only confusion in the brunette’s voice. Tommy’s face however, was a different story.

“I’m here to right my wrongs.” Felicity replied with a slight blush, even though her face remained serious.

“Why don’t we all sit down for now?” Oliver piped in and turned his attention from Tommy over Laurel to Felicity. Tommy’s face stayed stone hard while Laurel still looked completely confused. Felicity nodded shyly and took the chair opposite of Laurel that Oliver pulled out for her. She was sure he had chosen this spot on purpose. A kick in the legs from Laurel probably wouldn’t hurt as much as a punch from Tommy in the face. Not that Tommy would ever punch her. But Felicity was thankful for Oliver putting a little distance between her and his best friend.

“You look great, Laurel.” Felicity began after a few moments, trying to come up with anything to start the conversation. But somehow her brain decided to stay uncooperative for now. So light conversation it had to do. Internally hoping the waiter would arrive soon, Felicity turned her attention solely on Laurel and gave the brunette woman sitting opposite of her.

Laurel still looked utterly confused, but at least not as angry as Tommy looked. She was about to open her mouth and say something, when Tommy beat her to it.  
“What are all the courtesies for, Felicity? Why now? Why not months ago? It’s not that you didn’t have the chance to, how did you say it? ‘right your wrongs’ earlier. Oliver gave you every chance, heck even Laurel and I gave you plenty of chances but you decided to trample all over them. Why? Because you were heartbroken over a rumour that wasn’t even the truth! 12 months, Felicity! So I’m asking you again, why now, all of a sudden?” he almost yelled over the table, turning the attention of several people around on them.

“Tommy,” Oliver warned him and leveled his best friend with a hard look that told him to cut it down for a moment. Tommy kept his eyes solely on Felicity, who had silently taken in everything he had yelled at her. She gulped nervously and had to blink back a tear that threatened to find its way down her cheek. She would NOT start to cry in front of Laurel and Tommy. Not now and certainly not in such a public place.

“I’m sorry.” was all she could croak out before her throat died again. Where were the damn waiters when you needed them?!  
After swallowing the lump in her throat, Felicity took a deep breath and tried it again. Oliver had put a supportive hand on her leg, but that didn’t help her racing nerves.  
“I was a different person when I ran away from Starling City, from all of you, last year. And it took me a while to realize the problem wasn’t the rumour, the problem was me. Everything was a little too much for me at that time, a little too overwhelming, but I didn’t realized that until it all fell down on me... and I panicked. So I ran.” she explained and looked down into her lap for a moment, her fingers nervously tapping against each other while Oliver’s hand still rested on her knee.  
“It took me a while to come to that realization. And once I did, I wanted nothing more than to come back here, to Oliver and to you guys. But I know that as much as I had changed in the months after everything happened, you guys had changed as well, moved on with your lives, like everyone else would have done as well. And it made me think that maybe I didn’t fit into your lives any longer. That Oliver already had a new girlfriend and that you guys already had forgotten about me. And that scared me so much I -” her voice died for a moment and Felicity already contemplated excusing herself to the bathroom to take a gulp of water to loosen her dry throat when thankfully, the waiter arrived.

Oliver and Tommy made the drink orders and watched the waiter leave the table when the nervous silence returned to the table again. Felicity didn’t know what else to say and was scared her voice might completely break at some point, already feeling too overwhelmed by the few words she had spoken. She knew that it would get tough for her, but being at the verge of tears a mere 10 minutes after they entered the Restaurant already? She hadn’t guessed that.

“Where have you been all that time?” Laurel suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, all eyes on her in an instant. Felicity was startled for a moment, but quickly found her voice again.

“I was with my Mom until I got my eyesight back before I moved to Vancouver.” she honestly replied.

“Vancouver??”  
To say Laurel was surprised would have been a major understatement.  
“Why so far away?”

Felicity shrugged slightly. “I got an offer for a job and an Apartment, so I decided to give it a try. Seemed like a good chance to put some distance to everything and clear my head a bit.” she honestly replied, hoping Laurel could understand her motivations at least a little bit.

“Then why the phone call a few months ago?” Tommy suddenly threw in, his voice still full of anger and annoyance towards her.

Oliver’s head snapped around at that and even Laurel looked completely confused.  
“What?” he asked his best friend, but Tommy only cocked an eyebrow when he saw Felicity’s face go completely pale. So she hadn’t told Oliver about the phone call yet.

“Felicity called me a few months after she left.” Tommy replied to his best friend, never taking his eyes off Felicity though.  
“Said she would be calling again since I had to leave for a Meeting. Guess I don’t need to add that she never called again after that. Actually, I don’t even know what that call was for. Maybe you could enlighten me, Felicity?” he asked her, trying to keep his anger at bay.

Oliver’s head snapped from his best friend to the blonde woman sitting beside him.  
“Is that true?”

Felicity was too embarrassed to look up at him, but she knew she had to. Gulping down the lump that formed in her throat she looked up at Oliver’s face, right into his eyes that were nothing but confused and sad about what Tommy just revealed.  
“Yes,” she croaked out and nodded slightly. “I called him a while after I found the pictures of us on my old phone. I just… I’m sorry, I know I should have called you instead. But I was still too scared you’d maybe hang up on me or something like that. So I called Tommy instead.”  
She turned her face towards Tommy before she continued. “And I’m sorry I never called again, Tommy. I really am, even though you probably won’t believe me. And I get why you’re mad with me, but I just couldn’t do it again. I missed you guys just as much as I missed Oliver, so hearing your voice over the phone didn’t help me like I hope it would, it only made things harder. That’s why I never called again. And I’m sorry for that.” Felicity told him with an apologetic face, her eyes already shining with tears that were about to find her way down her cheek, threatening to ruin her makeup.  
“Excuse me for a moment please.” she almost sobbed and quickly got up from her chair, leaving a completely surprised Oliver behind. With quick steps, she made it to the Ladies Room before the first tears ran down her cheeks. At least she managed to avoid the inevitable to happen at the table with Tommy and Laurel.

 

It took her a minute to compose herself again. The tears were still rolling down her cheeks silently while she stared at her reflection in the mirror. All that could have been avoided had she womaned up and stayed with Oliver back then. Or maybe even returned after a few days of clearing her head. But she didn’t. So that’s what she had to deal with now.

Felicity didn’t even notice the door to the Ladies Room opening, but when a pair of small arms wrapped around her and a large bump pressed into her right side, Felicity’s head shot up in confusion to see Laurel hugging her tightly.  
“You missed my wedding, you ignorant brat!” she mocked with a small smile, making Felicity laugh between sniffles. “We all missed you, Felicity. Not just Oliver. That’s why Tommy is so mad right now. He’ll be fine, don’t worry.If not, I’ll throw another pregnancy fit. They always work with him.” she laughed and held out a tissue for Felicity.

“You look so beautiful, Laurel. And it’s weird to say that to you now since it’s actually the first time I see you in person.” she laughed with a slight headshake. “I’m sorry I missed your wedding. I really wanted to come, it was just - “

“Too fresh, I know what you mean. And I’m not even mad with you. Well, I am, but that’s more because I consider you a friend as well, and friends don’t run away from each other like that.” Laurel told her with a straight face, making her head bow down.

“I know.”

 

Felicity began fixing her makeup while Laurel watched her with a warm smile while she rubbed her belly, taking in the way Felicity naturally moved around, so different from the last time she had seen her.

When she let out a small laugh though, Laurel looked at her through the mirror.  
“What is it?”

“Do you remember the day you made me trying on that bridesmaid dress and I told you I didn’t want it because it probably looked stupid on me anyway?” Felicity smiled and turned her attention to the brunette next to her.  
“Of course.”

“I found the picture you had taken of me that day on my phone a few months ago.” Felicity smiled, watching Laurel’s slightly confused stare turn into a wide grin within a second.  
“The dress looked absolutely wonderful, Laurel. And it honors me that you wanted me being one of your bridesmaids.”

Felicity couldn’t even react as fast as Laurel pulled her into another strong hug, even with a pretty big baby bump between them.  
“I swear to god, Smoak, if you ever run away again I’ll personally make sure to search the entire planet to find you. Baby belly or not.” Laurel warned her and slowly loosened the hug, taking a step back from Felicity. When she placed a hand on her belly and let out a small sigh, Felicity’s expression turned from relaxed to concerned within a second, though.  
“Everything alright?”

“Yeah,” Laurel smiled, gently rubbing her belly, “she’s a little active today. Kicking around like a little martial arts fighter.” she laughed.

Felicity’s face lit up at that statement.  
“It’s going to be a girl?”

Laurel smiled and nodded. She knew Tommy would have loved a boy, but playing the role as the protective father of their little girl would fit him just as well, Laurel was sure.  
“You ready? If we leave the boys waiting any longer they’ll probably think something happened. And Tommy tends to get a little overprotective in the last weeks, so we don’t want to worry them.” Laurel laughed and linked arms with her before they left the Ladies Room together.

 

Luckily, the waiter had already brought them their Drinks while they were away. Tommy and Oliver both gave them a slightly concerned look, but when they saw the women smiling, they relaxed into their seats again.  
“Everything alright?” Oliver mumbled into her neck when he placed a soft kiss on her cheek, earning a small smile and a nod from her.

“It is now.” she replied and looked over at Laurel for a moment.

Tommy and her were so engrossed with each other, him gently rubbing her belly while Laurel laughed and giggled. The sight of the two lovers in front of her made her smile. Somehow Oliver must have calmed Tommy down while Laurel and her were in the Restroom, or maybe it was just what Laurel said and the pregnancy hormones got at him as well. Either way, it made Felicity smile warmly to see Oliver’s best friends so happy with each other.

 

The rest of the night went surprisingly relaxed after that. Tommy still somewhat refused to talk to Felicity directly, but they all managed to keep the conversations light during the night. Laurel asked Felicity about her life and job in Vancouver and Oliver talked about his job at the Starling Archers. To an outsider, it would have looked like everything was perfectly fine between the two couples and, no signs of a fight or shouting match going on between them just an hour ago.  
But Felicity knew, too, that she still had to make it up to Tommy. Laurel seemed to take it a lot better than she could have ever expected. Making a mental note to stop by at Merlyn Global and talk to him privately in the next few days, Felicity focused on the conversations at the table again.

 

As soon as they arrived back at his Apartment, Felicity kicked off her Heels and made her way upstairs to Thea’s room, getting the dress on its hanger again. When she came down the stairs a few minutes later, Oliver sat on the couch, his tie long gone, the top two buttons of his shirt open, sleeves rolled up. She hadn’t seen him looking so handsome yet incredibly how yet and if she wasn’t so tired and exhausted from the quite adventurous day, she would have jumped him within a second. But now all she cared about was snuggling into his chest and cuddle a little until both were about to fall asleep.

Oliver turned his attention to the stairs as soon as he heard her footsteps. The sight of Felicity so normally and gracefully moving through his Apartment was still a new one to him, and every time he saw her walking around, he couldn’t help but stare.  
Thinking back to the first time he saw her in Marbella over 1 and a half year ago, Oliver realized that back then she might have drawn his attention because of the casts and bruises that she sported when the nurse carried her out to the Pool area. But now that he saw her in her full beauty, being her normal self, he realized he would definitely have noticed her as well.  
Felicity had never been what he would have called ‘his type’ back then, but the way she so gracefully carried herself through a room, always keeping a small smile to her lips and her chin up, no matter the circumstances, made more than a few head turn at her. It might have been the bruises that caught his attention back then, but what made him fall in love with her was Felicity’s overall character and warm heart. Seeing her so confidently moving around now only added to the lift of things that made him love her even more.

Oliver’s warm smile made her only walk faster towards him. She couldn’t wait to be in his arms again to finally let the day fade away with him.  
“My feet are killing me.” she announced with a sigh as she was about to plop onto the couch next to him, only to be grabbed by Oliver and pulled on his lap. “Guess I’m still not used to walking in High Heels for several hours again.” she told him and started massaging her feet, trying to rub away the pain and numbness in her soles.

“As long as Tommy isn’t trying to kill you I’m okay with that.” Oliver chuckled beside her, earning a small sigh from her.

When a thought crossed her mind, she sat up straighter and turned her attention fully to Oliver.  
“I’m sorry I never told you about that phone call. Or called you instead of him. I can’t even explain why I called Tommy in the first place, I just…” she sighed, clearly at a loss for words but Oliver pulled her into a warm hug.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not mad at you. It just surprised me when Tommy said that earlier, that’s all. Even though I have to admit I’m a bit jealous that he got to talk to you, hear your voice, even if for just a few minutes, while all I had was the voice of your answering machine.” he admitted and the frown that formed on his face made Felicity sad. Oliver had never told her that before, even though she could have guessed he had tried to call her multiple times after she ran away. She just had no idea that he apparently still called her months later, only to hear her voice from the answering machine of a phone she didn’t even use any more. Feeling another pang of guilt towards him, Felicity leaned her head back onto his chest.

“I know I’ve said it several times already Oliver, but I’m so sorry I did all this to you. You have no reason to still love me and yet here you are, looking at me like that, making me feel like I’m the most precious person in the world.” she told him, almost embarrassed.

“It’s because you are.” he replied with an honesty she had rarely seen on his face and tone. It made her feel even more confused at how much luck she suddenly had. The feeling of maybe not deserving Oliver and his good heart still was present on her mind from time to time. The way he came back into her life and took everything that she threw at him the way he did only showed her how much he loved her. I hadn’t only been the driving factor for her to finally break up with Eddie, but also made her consider relocating to Starling City again, any time in the future. She knew that with Oliver living here in Starling City, there was no good reason for her to keep on her life in Vancouver. No job or school friends could ever make up for being so far separated from the person she loved the most.

But moving was a topic to be discussed later. There were still other things to take care of. Getting acquainted with the City and all his friends again, for example. And even if Tommy was still angry with her, they all had made a huge step towards each other again and Felicity was very thankful for that. Things with Thea were going much better than she could have anticipated, and Laurel seemed to take it pretty easy as well, after the initial shock of seeing her had worn off. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones that made her relax so much, Felicity had no idea. And if it was, Tommy apparently had gotten none of these hormones. She knew it would be a bumpy road back to being friends with Oliver’s best buddy, and after she saw the hurt on Tommy’s face when he spoke about the wedding that she missed, Felicity realized it wasn’t just anger about the promised phone call that he never received. Tommy was just as hurt about her running away as everyone else was. He just managed to hide it behind anger.

It had been silent in the living room for several minutes with Felicity lost deep in thoughts while Oliver comforted and caressed her. He could see she was still processing everything that had been said that day and he wasn’t about to interrupt her. It just made him glad she had handled everything the way she did. More than one time she looked like she was about to freak out and storm out of the Restaurant and he was glad she didn’t.

 

It didn’t take Felicity long to fall asleep in his arms, the events of the day taking a toll on her. Her breathing slowed down while her fingers slowly started twitching. Oliver kept stroking her hair with one hand, holding her tightly to him with the other, when a thought crossed his mind. He reached for his back pocket, trying not to wake Felicity in the process. As soon as he got ahold of his phone, he unlocked the screen and opened the camera, snapping a picture of her peacefully sleeping on his chest. For a moment he thought the flash would wake her up, but Felicity seemed so exhausted from the day that she didn’t even stir. With a smile on his lips Oliver looked at the picture for a moment before he stored his phone away again.

Deciding to call it a night as well, Oliver gently picked her up in his arms and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom, careful not to wake her up. She looked so peaceful in his arms, so relaxed, that he couldn’t help but look at her almost the entire time he walked them through his Loft.

“You have no idea how much I missed having you in my life, angel wings. And this time I’m going to make you stay for sure, I’ll promise you that.” he sweetly whispered to her before he slowly pulled the sheets over her body and placed a soft, tender kiss to her temple. He watched her sleeping form for another minute before Oliver made his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems I'm back in the mood for this Story! :)
> 
> Next Chapter will be up pretty soon (with more sweet Olicity, since the last Arrow Episode left us all with a pretty bad taste)!


	29. home is where the heart is

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... it's been a year since I last posted on this story and I've read all the comments of people asking for a new chapter on this one. I swear I haven't abandoned it (I don't like it when authors do, so I try and not do it with my stories) and updating this story has been long overdue, so I want to apologize to everyone waiting for a new chapter. Other works had just gotten in the way and then I realized the longer I stayed away from a certain story, the harder it became to find back into it (in this case, I actually had to re-read the last two chapters to get the vibe again!).
> 
> I'm finishing the very last chapter right now so I can promise this story will be finished in a few weeks. I know I've said that in the last chapter I posted, too, but this time I actually took the vacation time to finish this story. :D

The first rays of sunshine coming through the curtains woke Felicity up the next morning. The mattress next to her was empty, but that didn’t surprise her. She knew Oliver was an early riser, either going to training or for a morning run. In fact, after she left Starling City it had become a habit for her as well to get up early, workout a little, even doing morning runs as soon as her eyesight had returned and she got the okay from her doctor. It still wasn’t her favorite time of the day by any means, but to her, it sort of felt like being connected to Oliver whenever she did it, in a weird way. As soon as she got the job at the coffee shop though and had to take most of the early morning shifts, her morning routine had changed slightly again, meaning she now cherished every day she could sleep in.

The sound of the coffee machine and smell of freshly roasted coffee was what made her leave the bed in the end. After pondering what to wear for breakfast, Felicity decided to tease Oliver once more. They had yet to sleep together, after all, and since Oliver didn’t make any move the night before, she decided to step up the game a little.

With a mischievous grin on her lips she slowly opened the bedroom door and tiptoed towards the stairs. She could hear him rummaging around in the kitchen, the delicious smell of fresh brewed coffee invading her nose. With slow, tentative placed steps Felicity made it downstairs, fighting hard to make any sound so he would hear her and spoil her surprise. Just when she was about to round the corner, she heard footsteps leaving the kitchen and nearing the stairs. Pushing out her hip, Felicity leaned casually against the wall and waited for him to enter the room and see her. And there was no doubt he would instantly see her, it wasn’t that he could miss her with her standing in the middle of the room, basically blocking his path to the stairs.

When the footsteps got closer, Felicity let out a loud sigh and put on a fake pouting lip, not even trying to cover the amusement on her face.  
“Everything’s a mess. I can’t even find any of my clothes -” she spoke loud enough for Oliver to hear and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, when suddenly Thea rounded the corner and stared wide eyed at Felicity’s bare naked form blocking her path.  
“Jesus christ, Thea!” Felicity shrieked, trying hard to covering all her body parts with just two little, empty hands. Thea looked surprised at first before her expression quickly changed to a fit of amused laughter.

She threw the wildly gesturing Felicity a blanket from the couch and cocked an eyebrow at her.  
“I take it that wasn’t your way to thank me for lending you that dress last night, right?” Thea casually asked her while she watched Felicity trying to wrap herself up in the blanket with hurried moves.

“Of course not!” Felicity shrieked, not looking up, still too busy covering her body from her boyfriend's little sister. This was SO not how she’d planned this to go.

She could feel her ears and cheeks redden in embarrassment when Thea still didn’t make a move to leave the scene and leave her alone with her humiliation. Just when she was about to turn on her heel and make a beeline for the stairs again to hide in the bedroom and never come back out again, Oliver appeared on top of the stairs. The way he stopped in mid-motion, the towel he was using to dry his hair with halted on his head while he took in the scene in front of him on the other end of the stairs only made Felicity’s embarrassment increase. Thea couldn’t help but laugh even more when she spotted Oliver and saw Felicity’s reaction.

“Do I want to know what’s going on here?” Oliver asked a little hesitantly.

Felicity didn’t dare look up at him. If anything, she only wrapped herself deeper in the blanket.

“You ask that your little naughty girl here.” Thea replied with an amused tone, stepped around Felicity and gave her a swat on the ass, earning a surprised squeal and a little jump from her. Oliver watched his sister leave the room still laughing before his eyes fell back on Felicity.

“Naughty girl?” he asked with a small smile tugging at his lips, while he slowly walked down the stairs towards her. She looked so uncomfortable all of a sudden that he couldn’t hold back the small chuckle.  
“Why did she call you naughty girl?” he whispered over her shoulder when he stopped right behind her, one look down her body confirming him that his suspicions were indeed true - she was completely naked under that blanket. When it dawned on him why Felicity must’ve been bare naked in the living room, he stepped a little closer to her, pressing his chest towards her back.  
“You expected me to walk in on you, not my sister.” he murmured into her neck, breathing in her scent of raspberry and vanilla shampoo. He could hear the sharp intake of breath when one of his hands sneaked under her blanket and stroked up her thigh.  
“Did you want to surprise me with what’s hidden under that blanket, naughty girl?” he whispered, his fingers slowly trailing upwards. Just before they could reach their destination between her legs, she gulped and tried to find her voice.

“Thea is still here.” she whispered, her voice so trembling it made Oliver hard instantly. He loved how much he affected her with just a few simple touches but she was right. His sister was still around and no matter how much he wanted to bend her over the couch right now and have his wicked way with his naughty girl, there was no way he’d do that with his sister still in the apartment.

“As soon as she is gone, I’m going to take you upstairs and we won’t leave the bedroom for the rest of the day.” he whispered, kissed her neck and slowly removed his hand from under the blanket. He could feel her shivering and for a second he was glad he wasn’t the only one being so affected. Now only his sister needed to leave so they had the loft to themselves again.

Just when Oliver took a step back from her, she turned on her heel and dashed up the stairs, the blanket tightly clutched in her hands. It made him chuckle to see her so embarrassed, even though he’d already seen all of her. He couldn’t wait to see it again.

They were sitting over breakfast when a text message popped up on Oliver’s phone. He read it quickly and looked over at Felicity.  
“It’s Tommy. He says Laurel threatened to divorce him if he didn’t ask us to have lunch with them later.”

She couldn’t help but huff a small laugh at that. Laurel always had the reins over Tommy, but ever since she got pregnant, it felt like she could do whatever she wanted and Tommy had no chance to do or say something about it. Once she played the ‘pregnancy hormones’ - card, he completely shut up. But she also noticed how Laurel was the one asking them to join them for lunch, not Tommy. And after how the night before went, she wasn’t sure if a repeat performance so soon was a smart idea. Giving Tommy time to get over it sounded way better in her head, especially since Laurel told her to do exactly that. But then again, Laurel had asked them to join them for lunch, and a pregnant woman isn’t to be denied any wishes.

So Felicity smiled and nodded with a small shrug of her shoulder. It maybe thwarted their plans for the rest of the day, locked up in Oliver’s bedroom, but if it meant to mend fences with Tommy, then the reunion - sex with Oliver sure could wait for a little longer.

 

It had significantly cooled down in Starling City and with Felicity still having most of her clothes in Vancouver, she needed to borrow some things from Thea - again. Thankfully, Oliver’s sister didn’t seem to have a problem with that and even gave a few tips on what to wear, taking away Felicity’s new sudden nervousness. This was her second chance of getting back into Tommy’s good graces and since the night before had started out pretty bumpy, she wanted to make better during lunch. Which left her thinking about what to say and how to behave all morning, making her more nervous by the hour.

Tommy seemed to be in a lot better mood than the night before when they walked up to the restaurant. Probably because he knew that Felicity would be with Oliver, probably because Laurel threatened him with anything. Either way, it instantly lifted some of the nervousness off her shoulders. After hugging Laurel - albeit a little awkwardly, with the huge belly between them - she even got Tommy’s offered hand. It felt weird, and way too formal, to shake his hand, but she accepted it with a smile nonetheless. Formal and polite she could definitely work with, at least much better than angry and averse.

After just a few minutes it was pretty clear that it was Laurel who initiated that lunch date, since she happily and bubbly talked about their daughter, all the stuff they’d already bought for her and how Tommy had painted the whole crib by himself as a surprise for her. Tommy didn’t say much, but he also didn’t look as angry as he did the night before. And whenever Laurel looked down at her belly and stopped talking for a moment, his eyes shot over to her and one hand landed on her belly to feel the baby move. It was adorable to watch and Felicity enjoyed seeing Tommy smile every now and then, even though his features almost instantly hardened again as soon as his eyes landed on her. It only reinforced her decision to go talk to him at Merlyn Global as soon as she got the chance after the weekend.

Their lunch date got cut short when Oliver received a call and had to make a trip to the Archers stadium. Laurel offered to drop Felicity off at Oliver’s place so he wouldn’t have to take her there before leaving, but when Felicity offered to come with him to the stadium, his eyes lit up for a moment.  
“I mean, if that’s okay? I’d love to see where you work.” she smiled and earned an even bigger smile in return from him.

They bid their goodbyes to Laurel and Tommy with the promise to reschedule the lunch date to any time later that week before Felicity would leave for Vancouver again. Felicity was eager to see where Oliver worked and spent so much time, but it was Oliver who was even more excited than her on the short drive over to the stadium.

“I don’t know if there will be time to show you around,” he told her but Felicity waved him off.

“Oh that’s okay. I’m happy to see your workplace at all.”

He pulled up at the staff parking lot and the first thing Felicity noticed was the private parking lot with his name plate on it. There were many more personal parking lots, but seeing Oliver’s name on the wall next to all the others gave her a small idea of the importance of his job, not that she ever doubted that. Oliver opened the door and helped her out of the car, never letting go of her hand when he walked over to the entrance and already began greeting several people. He seemed so excited, walking with quick steps that Felicity had trouble keeping up with him. When they rounded a corner and stepped out to the large field, surrounded by thousands of empty seats, Felicity’s eyes went wide. She’d never been down at the field line before, and definitely not right ON the field. Oliver let go of her hand and turned to her.  
“I need to talk to the guys over there for a moment. Will you be alright?”

“Of course.” she eagerly nodded and glanced around the large stadium once more. Everything looked so much bigger from down there that she really couldn’t stop staring. Oliver smiled at her excitement and stole a quick kiss from her before he made his way over to the group of businessmen standing at the field line while they watched a group of toddlers play. Felicity took a seat on one of the empty bleachers and watched the kids on the field receiving instructions from their trainer while trying to control the large football in their hands. It was very entertaining to watch.

When the coach gave them a break and ordered everyone to drink something, the group of kids made their way over to the field line. Felicity was surprised to see even 3 girls among the players, even though they were pretty hard to make out with the large helmets covering almost everything of their heads and necks. She was so lost in watching the girls that she didn’t notice one of the boys walk over to her.  
“Hi!” he called and looked up at her, showing off his half toothless grin.

“Hi.” Felicity smiled turned her focus away from the group and on to the little boy.

“Are you coach Ollie’s girlfriend?” the little boy asked her, making Felicity’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise at that blunt question from a barely 7-year old boy.

She took in his football uniform and the way he was carrying the too big looking helmet for a moment before she replied.  
“Yes I am. And who are you?”

“I’m Max. I’m a Quarterback and when I’m all grown up, I want to be as good as coach Ollie.” the little boy told her, looking so adorably convinced of his career choice and the way he was dressed that Felicity couldn’t help but laugh slightly.

“Well then, Mr.Max, make sure to always take good care of yourself, train hard and don’t neglect school and I’m sure I will see you as the Quarterback of the Starling Archers in a few years.” she told him with a soft voice. “Is coach Ollie your coach?”

The little boy shook his head and pointed towards a man standing at the field line.  
“Coach Michael is our coach. But coach Ollie said next year, if I’m good enough, I can maybe get on his team.”

When Felicity looked over to the other coach, she saw Oliver watching her and the little boy. Max was still talking to her, so she gave Oliver a quick wave and focused back on her little conversational partner.  
“Tell you what,” she began when she heard the coach call out for the kids to get ready and back on the field again. “I’ll talk to coach Ollie later and tell him how much you want to train on his team. Maybe there is a spot free for you next year?” she smiled and saw the little boys eyes go wide.

When the coach called out again, Max surprised her by throwing his small arms around her in a hug, his body covered in full gear.  
“You are the coolest, coach Ollie’s girlfriend!” he told her, then quickly let go of her and turned on his heel to run back to the field after sending her another toothy grin and a goodbye wave. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the sweet kid and made a mental note to definitely ask Oliver about a chance to get that kid into his team.

 

Felicity noticed the group of businessmen with Oliver among them coming closer to where she sat, so she got up from her chair and straightened out the wrinkles in her dress. Making a bad first impression with Oliver’s bosses, especially as his girlfriend, really wasn’t on her agenda. The group stopped a few feet away from her and Oliver came over and put her hand in his.  
“Everything alright?” he mumbled and placed a quick kiss on her lips. She could only smile and nod when the rest of the group walked over to them.

“This is Felicity Smoak, my girlfriend.” Oliver spoke towards the group, looking proud when he said it. “Felicity, this is Rupert and Josh Hanson, talent scouts for the Archers, Mike Walken, Executive VP and John Belling, team coordinator.”

“Hello.” she replied a little shyly towards the group, even though she was met with content smiles.

“Now, with everything settled, please excuse us. I’m going to spend this lovely afternoon with my beautiful girlfriend.” Oliver smiled and was ready to turn and leave when Mike Walken stopped them.

“Will we be seeing you at the Archers christmas party? We can discuss final details then. Of course you’re invited, too, Miss Smoak.”

Oliver looked down at her, seeing surprise mixed with a flash of hesitation in her eyes.  
“We’ll try to. It all depends whether Felicity is in the city or not.” he nodded towards Mr. Walken and gave Felicity a light squeeze of her hand, showing her support. She was thankful Oliver had taken over with the answer because she really didn’t want to promise to come to a party she had no idea when it was and if she even had time to come down for it.

With a polite smile and nod towards the group of businessmen, they both turned on their heels and made their way off the field. They walked through the huge hallways together, all the while Oliver held her hand and showed her around. After a few stops and turns she was grateful for having him as a guide because she was sure that if he disappeared on her now, she would never find her way back to the parking lot again.

“Did you have a good time?” Oliver asked her as he steered the car off the stadium grounds and back to the city. Even though Felicity had a smile on her face the entire time he felt a little bad that his bosses kept him busy for longer than he’d intended. “Sorry I had to leave you on your own for a while.”

“Oh I didn’t mind,” she replied, a sincere smile on her lips. “I had wonderful company with little Mr. Max.”

Oliver had seen the boy walking up to her when he was in a conversation with his bosses. Even though he wasn’t on Oliver’s team he knew the boy pretty well by now, thanks to his multiple rather bold approaches about being added to his team instead of having to play with the ‘little kids’, like Max preferred to call them. The first time he had walked up to Oliver and asked him, Oliver had outright laughed it off, but when Max approached him a few weeks later with the same question, Oliver could see that the little boy had been dead serious about it.  
That he approached Felicity now really shouldn’t have surprised Oliver, but he had to admit that the 7-year old showed some major balls with that move.  
“Oh yeah, he’s a good kid. Great future ahead of him if he keeps working that hard.” Oliver nodded.

“He asked me if I could put in a good word with you to get him on your team. He seems to be quite fond of you.” she smiled, remembering how Max’s eyes started to shine when Felicity told him she was Oliver’s girlfriend.

“I’m having an eye on him for a while now,” he confessed. “But he’s still a little too young for my team. It would be too hard for him and besides the physical endurance, it wouldn’t do him any good mentally to always be the last best or the slowest. I already talked to his coach and we’ll wait and see how he does next season. If he keeps up his good progress and maybe a little growth spurt, we can give him a trial month on my team.”

“You should tell him that. I’m sure it’ll give him an extra push. That kid adores you. Just like me.” she spoke with a smile on her lips. It made Oliver look over to her for a second. Even though he knew Felicity’s feelings, it still warmed his heart to hear her sweet confessions from time to time. Seeing her so confident and happy once again reminded him of the stark difference in her between now and back then one year ago. Even though she’d been confident back then it was always visible to Oliver that she struggled with a few tasks due to her blindness. Now, a much more confident woman sat next to him. Stark different in her behavior, but beautiful all the same.

 

It was almost 6pm when they arrived back at the loft. Since lunch with Tommy and Laurel had been cut short, Oliver suggested to fetch take out and have a relaxed evening on the couch. Felicity wanted to offer eating at a restaurant instead of taking the food home, but when she caught the glint in Oliver’s eyes, she knew what he was up to. He’d still promised her to spend the rest of the day in bed, after all.

So they arrived back at the loft, loaded with boxes of chinese food, ready to have a relaxed evening when Thea somewhat thwarted their plans - again.  
Oliver found her sitting on his couch with a bowl of fruit loops, watching some TV show, looking utterly relaxed and definitely not like she was about to leave any time soon.  
“Didn’t you say you were going to spend the evening at Roy’s?” Oliver said in passing and unloaded the boxes of food on the kitchen counter. It took him a good amount of strength to keep the annoyance out of his tone. If he’d known his sister would be such a cock blocker, he’d never offered her the room in his apartment, not that he would say that out loud, of course.

“He canceled on me. Something about helping a friend with a problem. As soon as I heard the words _car_ and _engine_ , I completely zoned out.” she shrugged and didn’t even look away from the TV.

Felicity didn’t seem to mind Thea’s company as much as Oliver did.  
“Are you satisfied with your fruit loops, or do you want some chinese?” she offered and that actually made Thea look up from the TV.

“Do you have chicken kung pao?” she asked, her bowl of cereals momentarily forgotten in her lap.

“Of course. Duh.” Felicity laughed and watched Thea put the bowl on the coffee table and hop over the couch.

Before Oliver could blink, 3 people were sitting at the table, eating what he had planned to be a dinner for two. He never minded having his sister around, or even having dinner with her, especially since it only rarely happened lately, but just at that moment he wished her far away from the loft. Thea seemed to be completely oblivious to her brother’s hard looks, no matter how subtlety he tried to make her understand he needed the loft to himself for the rest of the evening. Felicity didn’t seem to mind his sister’s companionship either, something that didn’t really help him with his plan to get rid of Thea for the night.

After they settled on the couch and watched a movie together during which Oliver had to keep his hands to himself almost all the time, they decided to call it a night and head to bed when Felicity’s eyelids grew heavy. With the eventful day and the short night before he really couldn’t blame her, even though he had no idea how he was supposed to sleep next to her another night but keep his hands to himself, especially after their encounter in the morning.

Since she was almost half asleep when they brushed their teeth, Oliver helped her to bed and snuggled close to her, despite his dick’s protests. She was practically passed out to the world the moment her head hit the pillow. So much for his well planned out day.

 

Waking up next to Oliver and being able to actually look him in the eyes first thing in the morning filled Felicity with an incredible warmth. The day her eyesight returned, albeit very slowly, had been almost too overwhelming for her. In the months after the accident she’d grown so accustomed to the darkness surrounding her that she had no idea how much she really missed seeing the world in its color and beauty. Beauty like the man lying next to her right now.

A sleepy smile covered his face when he saw her watching him.  
“Good morning, beautiful.” he mumbled and pulled her closer to his chest. It was rare that he had the chance to sleep in and didn’t have to be at the field in the morning, so he took full advantage of that and snuggled Felicity into his chest, not ready to face the day just yet.  
Knowing she was by his side again, after more than 1 year of being separated made him so incredibly happy that he never wanted to let go of her in fear she’d disappear on him again. Which made him realize they still needed to talk about her plans for the next weeks. She was only visiting him for a few days and still had a job and apartment in Vancouver, after all.

Thinking about it made him nervous. Even though she seemed equally happy as he was to be back together, there was still the small nagging thought that she might return back home and realize things weren’t working out between them.  
Making a mental note to broach that subject over breakfast, he let himself drift off for a while again, holding the woman he loved closed to his heart.

 

Thea was already up and working the coffee machine when Oliver and Felicity arrived downstairs. After forcing himself not to follow her into the shower and have his wicked way with her, he patiently waited for her to finish before he hopped under it as well.  
“So you’ll be leaving again in two days?” Thea asked while nibbling on a piece of bacon. Oliver’s head snapped up and watched Felicity’s reaction closely. Even though he wasn’t super happy about his sister interrupting their breakfast - again, he was grateful that Thea had so bluntly asked what he mulled over for the last 30 minutes.

Felicity set her coffee mug down on the table, seemingly considering her next words.  
“Well I still have a job and an apartment there,” she tried with an apologetic smile. Thea was about to say something when Felicity beat her to it though. “But I’ve been thinking…”

Oliver back went ramrod straight at that. So much, that even Thea seemed to notice. She sent her brother a quick glance before turning her attention towards Felicity again.

“I was thinking about maybe checking the market for an apartment in Starling City?” she offered with a small shrug, a sweet, mischievous smile playing on her lips, her eyes going from Thea to Oliver.

“So you’re coming back for good?” Thea suddenly squealed and clapped, clearly excited about the news. But Felicity didn’t hear any of that. Her attention was solely focused on Oliver.

“You’re really coming back? Back to Starling City?” he asked with a low voice, hope and a little bit of uncertainty playing on his face.

“Back to you.” she smiled, biting her lip a little nervously. “If that’s what you want, I mean?”

Oliver didn’t say anything, he just pulled her forward for a bruising kiss, crashing her into his chest. When they pulled back, Thea was still grinning at them.  
“I don’t think you need to look for a place, Fee. I’m pretty sure Ollie has plenty of space available for the two of us.” she grinned and waggled her eyebrows.

That’s why he loved his sister so much. Even though he wanted to kick her ass most of the time for all the stunts she pulled, he loved the bluntness that was Thea Queen. He’d been thinking of offering Felicity to move back in with him, but feared it was too fast too soon. He didn’t want to rush her, or push her to things, not with having her back just now.

Felicity’s eyes went from Thea back to Oliver. She looked a little nervous all of a sudden, confirming Oliver’s worries and reasons why he hadn’t offered that yet.  
“Only if you want to, of course. No pressure.” he tried to assure her.

She seemed to contemplate Thea’s words.  
“There’s still a ton of things to do first. I need to cancel the lease of my apartment, get my stuff back here, find a new job. Would it be alright if I focused on that, for now, and we discuss the whole moving-in thing once it becomes more relevant?”

Oliver’s face fell a little at her words, even though he tried to mask his disappointment.  
“That’s not a no, Oliver! I would very much like to move back in with you, but for now I need to focus on the task at hand, namely getting my things back here and finding myself a new job.” she smiled and squeezed his hand once.

“Sounds fair.” Thea piped in from the side and even though Oliver would’ve loved to hear and enthusiastic ‘yes’ from her, he was happy with Felicity’s decision. He’d been going for one year without her, what are a few more weeks, then?

 

After that, a comfortable silence fell between them. Felicity enjoyed so much being in Oliver and Thea’s company again, making her realize how much she missed that during the last year. And even though she couldn’t see them back then, it still felt like being home again. Which made the decision to return back here so easy for her. Aside from one good friend and a job that she liked but that didn’t fully fulfill her, there wasn’t much that held her in Vancouver. Other than Starling City. Here she had friends, at least she considered Thea and Laurel that, she had the man she loved and missed so dearly close to her and Barry was only a short car ride far, too. With a decent new job in the city, she’d have everything she’d need.

“About the christmas party,” Oliver began, remembering of the official invitation she’d received only the day before. “Do you think you could be in Starling City for that? I would love to take you.”

“Well I have to ask my supervisor for a day off. Even if I hand in my resignation tomorrow, there’s still two weeks notice I have to keep up. I’ll see what she says. I would love to go with you.” she smiled warmly.

“Oh great, another reason to doll you up then.” Thea grinned and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Not that Felicity minded being outfitted by Thea all the time, especially since she probably wouldn’t have any time to go dress shopping on her own.

“Just nothing too over the top, please.”

“Oh please, as if you could actually overdress at a formal gala.” Thea huffed, earning a soft chuckle from both Oliver and Felicity.

That was what he missed so much over the last year. Sitting together with the woman he loved, casually talking about anything and nothing at all. Now as soon as she returned back to Starling City for good, he would probably be the happiest man on the face of the earth.

 

Knowing Felicity had to leave back for Vancouver the next morning, Oliver decided to make the most of the day with her. After successfully getting rid of Thea for a while, he snuggled on the couch with Felicity in his arms, a relaxed, content silence surrounding them.

“This is all so surreal,” she spoke softly, making him look down at her face resting on his chest.

“What?”

“You. Being back here again, in your arms. Being able to see you, moving back to Starling City... everything.”

“Do you have any doubts?”

“No,” she replied firmly. “It’s just still a little overwhelming to understand this is really happening to me. When I ran away I first didn’t realize how much I had lost that day. But the more time had passed, it became painfully clear to me. And still I had been too much of a coward to return back home and face things head on, no matter how it’d end. And now here I am, in your arms, even though I have done nothing for this outcome. I should have been the one coming to you, Oliver. And that makes me feel like a major coward toward you.”

“Hey,” Oliver sat up, pulling her with him and turning her so she had to face him, “you’re not a coward, Felicity. Maybe it wasn’t a good decision to run like you did, and maybe it wasn’t a good decision to hide away despite your desire to come back. But you’re not a coward for not coming to me earlier.” he smiled. “And who knows? Maybe you would’ve come after me a week later?”

Felicity laughed softly, despite the fact that she wanted to cry into his shirt and apologize to him over and over.

“All that doesn’t matter now, because right now you’re here with me. And as long as you promise me you’re not going anywhere, that’s all that matters.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Oliver wrapped her in his arms and pressed her close to him at her words.  
“Thank god. It’s not that I would let you leave again, anyway.”

 

They ordered takeout and ate on his balcony, enjoying the rush of the city below them. Since she had to drive all the way back to Vancouver with the rental car, they both decided to call it a night early and head back to bed so she would be able to make the drive in one go. Oliver was reluctant to let her leave, but since work wasn’t allowing him more days off, there was nothing he could do.

With her small bag packed, she left for Vancouver when Oliver had to get ready for work. He hated to let her go, his lips lingering on hers for a long time.  
“Promise me you come back.” he murmured, sounding almost desperate.

“I will come back, Oliver. If not for the christmas party, then at least in 2 weeks.” she assured him and with a last peck to his lips, she let go of him and hopped into the rental.

After blowing him another kiss she steered the car out of the parking garage. Oliver’s eyes stayed on her the entire time, even when the car was long out of sight. He knew she’d come back, but part of him still felt terrible for being left again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise to have the next chapter up in a few days. I had actually planned for this to be a longer chapter, but after it turned into 13k words, I decided to split it up, so the next is completely edited and ready to be posted, basically. :-)
> 
>  
> 
> Again, thank you for all your kind words and continued interest in this story. I know that not all were happy with the direction I took and that some are even disappointed by my not updating this story more regularly. But to the ones who still stick around with this one, I'd really like to thank you. This has been the very first story I've ever written, and it fills me with pride to see people enjoying it just as much as I do. :-)


	30. christmas gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is slowly coming to a conclusion. (yay me! :D )  
> Also, one question regarding Amanda that had been asked by many of my readers will be answered in this chapter! :)
> 
> Only one more chapter to go and we can finally mark this story as finished! **Booyah! ✓✓✓**

Arriving in Vancouver hours later, Felicity didn’t waste any time. After dropping off the car she made her way over to her landlord, telling the elderly woman that she had to cancel her lease toward the end of the month. And while the woman wasn’t happy to see her go, she didn’t give Felicity a hard time for leaving on such short notice. With the apartment located in such a frequented part of the city, she was sure the place wouldn’t stay empty for long.  
Next she stopped by her coffee shop. Her coworker Brad was currently busy behind the counter but as soon as he spotted her, a wide smile lit up his face.  
“Hey, girl! Don’t you have another day off?”

“Yeah, actually I came to talk to Mrs. Corbett. I’m going to be handing in my resignation.” she spoke with a soft voice and small smile. Even speaking it out loud made her happy and excited for the future.

“Wait, what? But how am I going to handle the masses without you?” Brad whined and threw his towel at her with a small pout. “Has this something to do with a certain guy coming here a few weeks ago?” he grinned with a wink.

“Yes, but only partly. I just think my time here is over and I need to go back home.” And it was true. If anything the few days back in Starling City had shown her, then that Vancouver had never been more than a short interlude, but not a home for her.

“She should be in her apartment, go and knock. My shift is over in half an hour anyway, want to grab something to eat then?”

“Sure, if you help me pack some stuff.” Felicity grinned. She didn’t want to waste any time boxing up her few belongings, but spending an afternoon with her coworker sounded like a great idea, too, especially since she wouldn’t be seeing him for much longer.

 

With her resignation handed in, Felicity waited for Brad to end his shift. Together they made their way over to the indian deli, both ordered the thai curry and settled back on her small couch in the living room.  
“So tell me about this guy,” Brad began between bites. “How come I have never heard you talking about him before he showed up at the shop?”

And with that, Felicity told him the entire story about how she met Oliver, up to the point when she arrived in Vancouver more than 7 months ago. And even though she made sure to leave out certain details to keep the story down to the important facts, recalling everything out loud made her acutely aware of the journey she and Oliver had had so far. Their relationship might not have been perfect so far, but now she damn well was going to make sure it would be. She got a second chance handed on a gold platter when her eyesight returned almost fully, and now she had a second chance to make her relationship with Oliver the best it could be between them. And no way in hell would she not take these two things seriously.

 

They stayed in contact all the time Felicity was still in Vancouver. Handing in her resignation and cancelling her lease had gone smoothly, much to Oliver’s relief. But sadly, Felicity still had to work for the following 10 days - or at least until her boss could find a suitable replacement for her. So they had to keep their conversations to calls, texts and facetime chats. It wasn’t much, and Oliver missed her dearly by her side, but it was more than he had for months, so he didn’t complain.

On wednesday, Felicity picked up the phone to call him as soon as her shift ended. Oliver didn’t pick up though, so she called the next best person, Thea.  
“Thea, I need your help.”

“That sentence is music to my ears. How can I help?” Thea laughed.

“Does the offer of dressing me up for the christmas party still stand?”

Thea squealed so excitedly that Felicity actually had to pull the phone away from her ear for a moment.  
“Does that mean you’re coming back so soon? Does Ollie know? Oh my god that’s so awesome. I’m going to pick out a dress right now!”

“Hold on,” Felicity laughed, fearing Thea might cut the call and miss more important details about her plan.  
“Oliver doesn’t know yet. I tried to call him but he doesn’t pick up. I’m sure he’s still in the training center. But the more I think about it, the more I want this to be a surprise.”

“Oh my god yes. I’m going to be your accomplice, we’ll turn you into this beautiful cinderella and then you’re going to surprise Ollie off his feet.”

Felicity couldn’t help but chuckle at Thea’s enthusiasm. She had planned to call Oliver and let him know the good news that her boss had found a replacement that already started work with her this morning, but since she couldn’t reach him and this idea formed in her head, she decided to a change of plans.

“I have everything boxed up and ready to go. The most important stuff I can throw in the Mini Cooper, but the rest has to be hauled by a company. I’m going to check about that first thing tomorrow morning, but then I’m good to go, basically. I should be in Starling City around 4pm but don’t want to tell Oliver I’m coming back earlier yet. Can you arrange things so he’ll be home by that time?”

“Easy peasy. Anything else?”

Thea Queen. Perfect partner in crime, it seems.  
“Only taking care of a dress for me. I really don’t have anything formal and I doubt showing up there in one of my summer dresses would be appropriate.” she laughed.

“This is going to be SO cool, Fee. Can’t wait to have you back. Ollie misses you like crazy. He’s moping around every evening since you’ve been gone.”

“Tomorrow evening.” Felicity assured her, but it warmed her heart knowing that she wasn’t the only one who felt frumpy and moody having to go to bed alone every night. Thank god that was going to end, soon.

 

With her Mini Cooper loaded to the brim with bags and boxes and the rest of her stuff dropped of at a transport company, Felicity said goodbye to the people she’d grown close to over the last months before leaving Vancouver to head back to Starling City. And even though coming here a little over half a year ago felt like a new beginning, she wasn’t sad to leave now. Because just the few days back with Oliver in Starling City had shown her that a new beginning in a new city wasn’t needed. She had one right in front of her, in Starling City.

 

True to her word, Thea had managed to make sure Oliver was at home when Felicity arrived back. Tom, the friendly bellman helped her getting the Mini safely into Oliver’s parking garage. The small bright red car looked incredibly cute next to Oliver’s white Porsche and the large black SUV, but in a way, it also looked fitting. A fun car for him, a fun car for her, and a family car for - well, family things.

Deciding to leave most of the stuff in the car for now, she grabbed her overnight bag and got out. Tom helped her upstairs unnoticed after she explained him she wanted to surprise Oliver. Through the frosted glass door she could hear muffled sounds, as if the TV was turned on in the living room. Shooting Thea a quick text, it took the younger Queen sibling only seconds to open the front door. Both girls had to suppress their squeals and giggles at the sight of each other so they wouldn’t alert Oliver.  
Just an hour ago she’d sent him a text, letting him know she had to take care of getting her belongings checked in with the hauling company. Which technically wasn’t a lie, Oliver just had no idea she had done that hours ago already.

Tiptoeing into the loft, she watched Oliver sitting on the couch, his back to her. Perfect.  
“Hey there,” she whispered over his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his neck. Oliver jolted up in surprise and turned to face the woman he hadn’t seen in over a week. The woman he most definitely not expected back so soon. But no matter how often he blinked, she still stood there, grinning at him from the other side of the couch.

“Angel wings!” he called and pulled her over the backrest of the couch, not caring that she was still wearing her sneakers. With a laugh she let him hold her, equally happy to be back in his arms. He didn’t waste another second and kissed her with all he had, completely oblivious to his sister standing in the room with them.  
“How are you back so soon?” he asked after reluctantly letting go of her lips.

“Well, my replacement at work could handle things a lot quicker than we thought, so my boss let me leave early and with the lease ending in a few days anyway, I figured why wasting more time in an empty apartment when I could come here early instead so we could go to the christmas party together?” she smiled, making him grin wide at her words.

“Alright, I’m going to leave you two lovebirds for a while.” Thea chimed in from the hallway, interrupting their moment. “Fee, blue or pink?”  
At Felicity’s furrowed brow, Thea quirked an eyebrow. “For the dress? Would you want a blue or a pink one? I’m heading over to the mansion to pick up some dresses anyway.”

Felicity looked up at Oliver for a moment. He didn’t say anything, but she knew exactly what he was thinking.  
“Pink.” she replied with a knowing wink towards the younger Queen.

With that, Thea left the apartment, leaving them both alone for once.  
Oliver practically tackled her onto the couch the moment the front door closed behind his sister. With pure adoration and love in his eyes he stared down at a laughing Felicity lying under him, her blonde curls spread all around her face like a shining halo.  
“I can’t believe you’re really here. For good.”

“For good.” she smiled back and hooked a finger in his shirt collar, pulling him in for a sweet kiss.

Before things could get too heated up though, Oliver pulled back slightly.  
“Want to go get your stuff upstairs and then order dinner?”

At that, Felicity’s stomach let out a loud growl. Amidst her hurried departure she really hadn’t thought about getting something to eat for the drive. Now, after only a small bagel for breakfast, dinner sounded heavenly.

 

It took them two trips to get all her stuff upstairs. While Felicity put her toiletries into the bathroom, Oliver made room for her clothes in his closet and drawers. But since the space she’d occupied a year ago had never really been reclaimed by Oliver, his job was done rather quickly.  
He watched her packing away her clothes, once again amazed at how differently she behaved with her eyesight back. She moved around the room so swiftly, so at ease, much different to the way she did when she’d been in his home for the very first time.

Seeing her colorful dresses hanging next to his shirts again, after such a long time, did funny things to his heart. At times he still couldn’t fully believe that she was back in his life, back by his side. But then she looked over her shoulder and smiled at him, confirming that this now was very real.

 

A call from the front desk pulled Oliver out of his daydreams. While Felicity stored away her last belongings, Oliver paid the delivery guy and set the table. He even opened a bottle of wine, wanting to celebrate that moment between them.

“Have you talked to your mother already?”

Felicity nodded.  
“She rambled for half an hour on how it was the best thing I could do going back to you.” she chuckled. “Oh, and she demands to be invited for a visit any time soon.”

“Well she’s always welcome here.” Oliver laughed, amused.

“So how will tomorrow go?” Felicity asked, changing the topic to a more serious tone. Because I have to admit I‘ve never been to such a formal event before.” she admitted a little nervously.

Oliver set his wine glass down and grabbed her hand over the table.  
“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s a far less formal event than you might think. We’ll show up, drink some champagne, I’ll show you around and introduce you to my bosses and well... if you’re up to, we could also dance a little.” he offered , a small smile playing on his lips and for a moment, Felicity had to think about Laurel and Tommy’s wedding and how much she had really regretted not going to that party.

 

With the long, exhausting drive taking a toll on her and the fact that Oliver had to get up at 4.30, they both decided to call it a night soon after emptying the bottle of wine together. And even though he wanted nothing more than attack her as soon as she hopped under the sheets with him, he held himself back. The first time they made love wasn’t going to be rushed. He wanted to take his time with her, not bothering to think about appointments or trainings, even though his dick very much disagreed with him, especially when she snuggled close to him, pressing her butt into his groin in the process. He had to hold back a groan that threatened to spill out and wrapped her in his arms instead.

 

When Felicity woke up the next morning, Oliver was gone already. A small note greeted her in the kitchen, along with a single stemmed red rose in a vase. Just after she sat down and took a first sip of her coffee, Thea barged through the front door, loaded to the brim with dresses in all lengths and colors.  
“Remind me again why I thought about moving back in with my parents.” Thea groaned when she spotted Felicity sitting at the kitchen island. “You have no idea how thankful I am for Ollie offering me his place to stay.” But at her own words, Thea suddenly stopped and looked up at Felicity with wide eyes. “Wait, do you want me to move out, now that you’re back? I mean, I would totally understand. It’s not that Ollie’s offer was for forever.”

Felicity shook her head with slight amusement.  
“Of course you can stay. I don’t want you to move out on my account. Besides, this is Oliver’s home, so it’s solely his decision.”

“Oh well, then I better start packing.” Thea huffed a laugh. 

 

Together the girls took several hours picking dresses and trying out different hairstyles for the night. Since Thea was dating Roy, a young, aspiring quarterback of the Starling Archers, she was also going to the christmas party, something Felicity was very happy about. It meant at least one more familiar face for her.

Oliver returned back home when Felicity was in the shower. Thea had turned the guest room into the biggest mess he’d ever seen with dresses and shoes literally everywhere. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much effort the girls were putting into their outfits for just a simple christmas party, but then again it was probably way more than that for Felicity. The last formal event had ended in a disaster that broke them apart for more than 12 months. He sure as hell wasn’t going to let that happen again. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her leave his side all night - simply because he missed her so much at that last gala he’d attended.

Taking his time getting ready himself, he could hear the girls talking and laughing down the hall, followed by the sound of a blowdryer and the click clack of heels on his hardwood floors. They still had more than 30 minutes until their driver would pick them up so he wasn’t going to rush the girls, knowing how much Thea hated it. He took a seat at the kitchen counter and poured himself a whiskey, waiting until the girls would be ready.

Thea was the first to arrive downstairs, dressed in a floor length navy dress with delicate cutouts at her ribs that made her look stunning and way more mature than she was, most of the time.  
“You look nice, speedy.” Oliver remarked with a smile.

“Wait till you see your girl coming down the stairs.” Thea grinned back and started typing away on her phone.

The click clack of another set of heels coming from the upper floor drew his attention back towards the stairs. The first thing he spotted were the silver strappy heels, followed by waves of fuchsia colored tulle that easily flowed with every move. The bodice hugged her tightly while the rest of her dress fell in loose waves over her body. The color probably was a little brighter than he would’ve picked for her, but then again, that was 100% Felicity.  
When she reached the landing and took a step towards him, an almost shy smile playing on her lips, Oliver couldn’t stay on his seat a moment longer. His whiskey glass long forgotten, he closed the distance toward her with quick steps, pulled her in his arms and pressed a sweet kiss on her lips, careful not to ruin her makeup.

“You look absolutely beautiful.” he murmured between kisses.

“I love you.” she mumbled back, her eyes never leaving his. Even if she hadn’t said it out loud, just the look in her eyes would have told him that much. But still, hearing it always did a little flip to his heart.

The ringing of the door bell pulled them back to the present. Thea quickly opened the door and ushered their new guest inside.  
“Fee, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Roy Harper.” Thea suddenly announced, a proud smile on her lips. Felicity’s head whipped around, so did Oliver’s. The brunette man standing next to Thea looked a little uncomfortable with 2 sets of eyes staring at him, but then Oliver’s stare quickly changed into a grin.

“Taken you long enough, Harper.” he joked and within an instant, Roy’s shoulders relaxed again. They both went over and hugged while Felicity settled on a handshake.  
“Roy is one of the physical therapists of the Archers,” Oliver explained to Felicity while Thea grabbed them all their coats and ushered them to the door.

 

The short drive to the Archers stadium gave Felicity time to find out more about Roy and his work with the Archers, while Oliver sat close beside her, never letting go of her hand. Thea looked equally cozy with Roy opposite of them, and it made Felicity smile to see her friend so happy.

The party was already in full swing when they entered the large building. A small orchestra was playing christmas tunes while waiters walked around handing out champagne flutes and small snacks. After getting rid of their coats, Thea and Roy split from them, making their own way around the crowds. Oliver didn’t mind, though. He looked forward to spend some time alone with Felicity, dance a bit and introduce her to more of his colleagues.  
Armed with a champagne flute, he led her through the spacious hall, greeting people every now and then, when one of his bosses waved at them from a few feet away.  
“Oliver! Good to see you.” Mr. Walken closed the distance to them. Felicity remembered Oliver telling her he was one of the VPs of the Starling Archers, making her stand a little straighter next to him. “And Miss Smoak. Nice to see you could make it.” he spoke, suddenly turning his attention toward Felicity. It thoroughly surprised her that he even remembered her name from the one encounter at the field weeks ago but then again she had no idea if Oliver maybe had spoken of her.  
After a handshake and exchanging a few pleasantries, Mike Walken had to excuse himself to some others demanding his attention.

When Oliver went to get them both something to drink, Felicity busied herself with studying the hundreds of photos hung up at the picture gallery. In some of them she could even spot Oliver, although it was hard to make him out in his full gear. And still it was a real sight for her to see him out in the field like that, especially since she wouldn’t be able to see him like that live any longer.  
Looking around the room, she could see Oliver standing at the bar. A smile crept up her lips to see him standing there, not knowing she was watching him, looking devilishly handsome in his tux. But then a redhead walked up to him and wrapped her arms around Oliver’s biceps and all the blood in Felicity ran cold for a moment. She stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to move her gaze away from them. The way the redhead snuggled up to him, looking a lot more cozy than all the other women who’d greeted him so far, filled Felicity with something she couldn’t quite understand.  
Part of her wanted to walk up to him, to stake her claim, so to speak, but she definitely didn’t want to cause a scene. Not at such a formal party and most definitely not somewhere where it might threaten his job in any way. And then there was the other part of her, the part that screamed ‘RUN’ so loudly that she had a hard time to ignore that voice.

But then Oliver angled his body away from the redhead, removing her painted claws from his arm in the process. Felicity could see him say something to her that made her take a step back, a pout on her lips, when he grabbed the two drinks and walked straight over to her.

Felicity still stood there, frozen on the spot, staring at him when he walked up to her. He instantly knew that she had seen the whole encounter, and the way her body looked ready to make a run for it made him put the two drinks down at a table near them and wrap her in his arms.

“Who was that?” she asked and even though she tried to sound casual, she knew her voice utterly betrayed her.

After placing a kiss to her head, Oliver took a step back but still kept her hand wrapped in his.  
“That’s Carrie Cutter,” he sighed. “She’s the assistant of one of the national scouts and has been bothering me for months now. I really hoped not to run into her tonight.” he sighed again and Felicity could see the exhaustion in his eyes. He really looked annoyed by her, and now that he’d said it out loud, she could also remember seeing it at the bar just minutes ago. His posture had been completely rigid and most most definitely not welcoming to her touch, even though Felicity had trouble seeing that at first.

“Well maybe,” she mused and took a step closer, her eyes blinking up at him. “She just needs to be made aware you’re off the market.”

“I am?” he grinned back with feigned surprise.

“Oh you most definitely are.”  
The smile playing on Felicity’s lips, along with the small glint in her eyes, made him forget everything around them. He leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, lingering a little longer than appropriate for the setting they found themselves in. Not that he cared though.

With her hand still in his grasp, Oliver pulled her onto the dancefloor. A few other couples were already dancing and even though Felicity and Oliver more swayed than actually danced, she enjoyed every second of it.  
Oliver had no idea if Carrie was around to see it, but then again he’d told her for months now that he wasn’t available or even remotely interested in dating her. She just didn’t seem to understand and while it had been alright for him to fend off her advances every now and then, seeing the look on Felicity’s face when she had seen the encounter, Oliver almost freaked out. Under no circumstance he was going to let anyone, let alone someone like Carrie Cutter, threaten his relationship ever again.

They kissed and danced for a little longer, even spotted Thea and Roy on the dancefloor once, before Felicity excused herself to the bathroom, giving Oliver the chance to chat with some colleagues.

She was just putting on a layer of lipstick when the door opened and Carrie walked inside, her eyes set on Felicity.  
“You,” she spoke and through the mirror, Felicity could see the redhead’s eyes firmly watching her. “You’re Felicity, right?”

Felicity didn’t flinch at the harsh words or even the fact that Carrie knew her name. She finished her lipstick, placed it on the counter and slowly turned her attention towards the other woman.  
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

Carrie’s eyes turned into slits at her words.  
“Oh I do know all about you,” she laughed almost menacingly. “You know, that stunt you pulled on Oliver a year ago, by just up and leaving him without so much as a glance back? Oh yeah, I know all about that.”

Felicity had to steel her features to not show any affection by Carrie’s words. She knew the redhead wanted to ruffle her feathers and make her uncomfortable, but still it hurt hearing these words from a total stranger. It made her wonder how the woman knew about all that, and how many others knew that story as well.

Before Felicity could even form a reply, Carrie continued to fire at her.  
“You are not worth of Oliver’s love! You’ve done nothing but terrible things to him over the last 12 months and yet you are here, creeping around him telling everyone you love him. He should be with someone else, someone who doesn’t treat him like shit!” Carrie spat at her.

Her words infuriated Felicity, even though she didn’t show that emotion. She wouldn’t give Carrie the satisfaction that she could actually get to her or that her words might do something to her. Masking her anger, she put away her lipstick and closed the latch of her clutch with a snap.  
“What? You mean someone like you?” she spoke calmly and turned to fully face Carrie. Her words seemed to hit its goal when she saw the redhead inhale sharply, her eyes flashing for a moment. Felicity knew in the way the woman had been all over Oliver at the bar that Carrie had feelings for him, something she now decided to use for her advantage.  
“Just a word of advise, sweetheart.” Felicity spoke with a smile on her lips, taking a step right into Carrie’s personal space. “Before giving anyone a piece of your mind, be sure you   
have enough to spare.” she winked, turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving a clearly fuming Carrie behind.

Oliver hadn’t seen Carrie following Felicity into the ladies room and wasn’t aware what was going on in there, but the longer he waited for his girlfriend to return, the more uneasy he became. She hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary before excusing herself and aside from Thea, she didn’t really know anyone at this party either. So whatever took her so long, it made Oliver thoroughly nervous.  
When he spotted her coming out of the ladies room, looking a little shaken up even though a smile graced her lips, he excused himself from his conversation partner and walked straight to her.  
“Everything alright?”

The real concern and worry in his voice made Felicity smile up at him.  
“Yeah. I just ran into Carrie who tried to mess with me.” she shrugged, trying to make light of the situation even though she wanted nothing more than to leave the party and snuggle up with him at home.

“What did she do?” His tone was laced with anger while his eyes darted through the room, probably to find the woman in question.

“Nothing, she just tried to ruffle my feathers a bit. I actually managed to tell her off, which I’m a little proud of, to be honest.” Felicity grinned, even though the whole encounter still left her a little uneasy.

Oliver wanted to say more, but Felicity pulled him away, heading straight for the bar. A drink sounded just like the perfect idea.  
They were both waiting for their drinks when a man Felicity didn’t know yet walked up to them. After shaking hands with Oliver, the man turned his attention to her.  
“Miss Smoak, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you. Oliver had been talking about you a lot in the last few months. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” 

The genuine smile on his lips made it easy for her to accept the outstretched hand and shake it.  
“Thank you. I hope the stories weren’t too embarrassing.” she added with a side eye towards Oliver, who couldn’t hold back a little grin.

“Well I’ve heard only the best about you.” he replied with a little laugh. “I’m Rick deSantos. Actually, do you have a minute or two to spare? I’d like to talk to you about something.” the man offered and Felicity sent Oliver a surprised look at his words.

When Oliver smiled and nodded once, ushering her forward to follow the man into a more quiet area to an unoccupied table, Felicity took a breath and followed him, albeit a little reluctantly. She had no idea what the man would want from her, but since Oliver looked so relaxed about the whole encounter, there really wasn’t a reason not to follow him.  
With the bar and Oliver still in sight, Mr. deSantos placed his champagne flute on an unoccupied table and watched her follow him.  
“I know this might come a little unexpecting,” he began and took Felicity’s thoughts right out of her head. “But since I’m a man who likes to take chances the way they fall into my lap, I hope it’s alright to steal you away from your date for a minute.”

“I mean no disrespect, Mr. deSantos... but what is this about? I have no idea how I could be of any help.” Felicity replied. No matter how nice and friendly the man seemed, she still had no idea what this was about.

Seeming completely unfazed by her direct approach, Mr. deSantos took a sip of his champagne and smiled at her.  
“I’d like to offer you a job at the Starling Archers.”

Well now that she did not expect to hear.  
Looking at him with wide eyes, words failed her for a moment.  
“I... uhm... you’re offering me a job?”

“Oliver told me you were moving back to Starling City. I figured you’d be looking for a job, or at least I hope so, because I’m in dire need to fill a position with a reliable person.”

It took Felicity a moment to let it all sink in. It was true that she still needed to find a job in Starling City, but since she’d just arrived back in the city the day before, she hadn’t really thought about that yet. Besides, she still had no idea what to do other than applying at another local coffee shop. It had been so long since she’d last worked her original job and her resume lacked the needed qualifications in the last 3 years to make her any interesting for the higher paid jobs.  
“No offense, Mr. deSantos, actually I’m flattered that you’re asking me, but what position would that be, exactly? To be honest, I can’t really see myself fitting any position with the Starlin Archers.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong, Miss Smoak. When Oliver came to me, I asked him if he could send me a short resume for you and what I saw was quite impressive. You have been working as an executive assistant at Seldon & Seldon for 3 years, which is quite impressive given your young age at the time. I’m working in public relations for the Starling Archers and my current assistant will go into parental leave in 4 weeks. Oliver coming into my office couldn’t have happened at a better time, actually. Now I only need you to agree to come into my office any time next week so we could go over everything in detail and to give you an idea of what your job would entail.” he smiled at her, even though Felicity’s eyes were wide as saucers.

There was just so much to take in. Never in the world she would’ve guessed that one of Oliver’s bosses would actually offer her a job at that party, let alone so soon after returning back to Starling City. And the fact that Oliver had put out his feelers for her already, even without telling her, warmed her heart. It made her feel more welcomed back in his home and only proved how much he really wanted her back for good.  
And even though she never would’ve guessed working for the Starling Archers could be an option, the job that Mr. deSantos was talking about actually sounded pretty interesting.

When he sensed her lack of an answer as reluctance to his offer, Mr. deSantos backpedaled a bit.  
“I know this is a little unconventional and definitely on short notice, and I understand if this job isn’t for you. But I wanted to -”

“It sounds great.” she cut him off. “And I’d love to come into your office next week and talk about everything in detail. I’m just a little taken by surprise because a job offer is the least thing I expected to get when coming here tonight.” she laughed softly with a quick look around the room. Oliver stood a few feet away, talking to a couple, even though one eye always stayed close on her. 

Mr. deSantos looked incredibly relieved to hear her words.  
“Miss Smoak, I think you just made my night.” he smiled and offered her a hand, handing her his business card in the process. “Just give me a call anytime next week and we can go over everything in detail.”

Felicity stored the card away in her clutch and grabbed her drink. Following him through the crowd, they both made their way over to Oliver.  
“Thank you for letting me steal your woman for a bit,” he thanked Oliver who quickly pulled her to his side. “She’s quite lovely, I must say.”

Oh he knew that alright. With another nod towards them, Mr. deSantos excused himself from them, leaving them alone in the large crowd once again.

“You gave him my resume,” Felicity mumbled into his chest while he slowly swayed them to the music.

“Are you mad that I did?”

No, she wasn’t. Even though it completely caught her by surprise, she was actually grateful for Oliver looking out for her. It meant one less thing to take care of during her move.  
“Thank you for doing that, Oliver. If that job is anything like he made it sound, this might actually be an interesting position. Even though I still have no idea how he things I qualify for the job.” she added on a mumble. “But he wants me to call the office next week to set up an appointment. We’ll see how that goes.”

Felicity wasn’t particularly sad they didn’t see Carrie any more for the rest of the night. Instead, they spent some more time dancing together. At some point, Thea appeared at their table with Roy in tow, her hands filled with shot glasses.  
“To new beginnings!” she called out with her shot glass high in the air, making the others join in. Felicity and Oliver looked at each other for a moment before downing their drinks. 

Much to Oliver’s relief, Thea announced she’d spend the night at Roy’s place, leaving Oliver and Felicity alone shortly after. Since Felicity’s feet started to ache from all the dancing in her high heels and the party slowly started to thin out, they decided to call it a night as well.  
The drive back home was spent in complete silence between them with Felicity resting her head on his shoulder, their fingers intertwined in his lap. It felt like the perfect night.

 

As soon as Oliver closed the door behind them, he was on her. Not giving her time to take off her coat or even her heels, he swooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs, a determination in his steps she’d rarely seen before. Setting her down in the bedroom, he looked at her for a moment before leaning in to claim her lips in a deep, hot kiss.

Circling her like a predator, Felicity felt like he was about to pounce on her at any second. It made her hot as hell. When he stopped behind her, she could feel his hot breath on the side of her neck.  
“I’ve waited so long to do this.” he whispered, kissing down her neck while slowly dragging down the zipper of her dress. “And since it’s going to be just me and you for the entire night, I’m going to take full advantage of that.”

Felicity shivered at his words. Ever since Thea had announced she won’t be home for the night, a shiver of anticipation ran through her. She had been wanting to do this for way too long already, but every time either of them made a move, they were either interrupted or simply didn’t have enough time.  
Now, she was very much going to take full advantage of him as Oliver was planning to do with her.

The straps of her dress slowly slid off her shoulders, revealing nothing but skin underneath. When she felt his hands around her waist, circling her while he slowly slid the dress off her body, Felicity let her head fall back on his strong chest and let out a small sigh. Just the faintest touch of his fingers on her skin set her on fire.  
Sure, they had spent plenty of nights sharing a bed already, but this felt much different. She knew just as much as him what was about to happen. And she couldn’t wait. One year was damn long enough.

“I’m going to devour every inch of your body,” he whispered over her shoulder, his fingers slowly traveling over her ribs up to her breasts. “And you’re going to watch me. The entire time.”  
With that, he turned her around and slowly walked her backwards until her legs hit the mattress. His lips were travelling closer and closer to her nipples but never quite closing around them. It drove her insane. With a sigh, she wrapped her fingers around his head and tried to guide him to where she needed him.  
“Eager, aren’t we?” Oliver chuckled, but quickly gave her what she wanted.

Felicity was so lost to the feel of his lips on her skin that she didn’t notice being lowered down until her back hit the mattress. Dressed in only her panties and her high heels, Oliver took a step away from her to admire the view. Not much about her body had changed in the last twelve months, but the way Oliver looked down at her felt like it was the first time he really saw her. And maybe it was. She had never been able to look back at him like she did at that moment. The pure lust in Oliver’s eyes drove her insane, just like seeing him standing there still fully dressed while she was down to her last scrap of clothing.  
When he made a step back and started to take off his jacket, Felicity took her chance. Slowly sliding off the mattress, she crawled over to him on her hands and knees, her eyes never leaving his.

Reaching up to his belt, Oliver let out a groan when he realized what her plan was.  
“Fuck, Felicity... I’m not sure I’m gonna last when you do that.”

“I haven’t even started doing anything yet.” she grinned back, slowly working open the zipper of his pants and pulling it out of the way.

“The way you keep looking up at me is fucking enough,” he groaned and shrugged off his shirt.

He hadn’t fully taken off his shirt when one of her hands grabbed his fully erect cock and lined it up straight with her lips. Oliver couldn’t hold back the groan that left him at the first touch of her tongue, his hands stopping mid-movement.  
When he looked down, he could see her eyes trained right on his. Not only was she doing wicked things with her tongue to him that she hadn’t done in over a year, the fact that she was looking him right in the eye while she did it almost brought him to his knees.  
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he groaned out and wrapped his hand into her hair, grabbing her blonde curls in between his fingers. Everything about her felt so good, so addicting. And the more she licked and sucked on his cock, all the while maintaining eye contact with him, the more he felt like going to blow his load sooner than he intended to.

Gently prying her off his cock, she looked a little disappointed for a moment, until he threw her back on the mattress.  
“Next time you’re not going to get me off you that easily.” she told him with a wicked glint in his eyes. If anything, it made him even harder.

His pants were off in record time while Felicity took care of her high heels. No need to keep to keep them on her feet when she planned to spend the next several hours in a horizontal position.

Oliver was on her just when she kicked off her second heel.  
“One year had been a damn long fucking time.” he mumbled onto her skin while peppering her with licks and kisses. “And there are so many things I want to do to you, but for now I need to be inside you.”

“God yes please.” she moaned back, raking her nails over his shoulders.

When she felt the tips of his fingers slowly travel over the inside of her thigh, she instinctively opened her legs wider to give him space, trying to pull him closer into his body with her leg wrapped around his waist.  
Their kisses soon turned frantic when Oliver felt how wet she was.  
“Fuck, you’re drenched, baby.” he moaned onto her skin before bringing his fingers up to their lips. With slow, precise movements he smeared her wetness over her lips before leaning in and claiming them once again. She could taste herself on their tongues and it drove her insane.  
Sneaking a hand between them, she grabbed his cock and lined him up just where she needed him the most.

A gasp left her when he entered her in one swift movement. She could see him struggling to keep his composure so she opened her legs a little wider to give him room to move. At the first long, slow slide of his cock her eyes went wide. He’d just hit a spot she never knew existed in her. Oliver seemed to have noticed the look in her eyes, too, because he repeated the exact move with precision a few times, grazing that sweet spot over and over with slow but firm strokes.  
Before Felicity knew what was happening, she moaned out loud and came so hard she saw stars. Oliver stopped his slow, torturous movements for a moment and looked down at her with a mixture of love and lust.  
“Now that we’ve taken the edge off, I’m going to show you how much I really missed you.”

Oh god help her. When he grabbed her behind her knees and threw both her legs over his shoulders, it dawned on her that the orgasm she’d just had a few moments ago would be nothing in comparison to what came next.  
The immediate change of position pulled him so much deeper into her.  
“God, I missed this so much. You feel so fucking good.” he groaned in her ear.

Her eyes went wide as he began to thrust, each stroke pushing farther than before, forcing the breath from her lungs. “That’s it. Watch me, Felicity. Keep your eyes on me all the time. See what only I got to see between us.”  
She reached up and pressed her palms flat against the headboard to give him more leverage when one of his hands slid down to her clit, rubbing it with firm strokes to match his thrusts.  
“Are you going to come for me again?”

“I... I think so...”

He reached up and grasped the headboard, trapping her under him with her legs over his arms. Anchoring himself, he gave her everything with deep, fast strokes.  
With this new angle he reached that right spot again and again, wrenching a cry from her each time he brushed it. She didn’t care how loud she was, or that she probably woke up the neighbors living one floor below them with the sounds she made. All the pent up sexual energy from the last twelve months was pouring out of her in that exact moment with Oliver.

He seemed to feel the same, panting above her, feeling his imminent orgasm rising while he kept looking down into her eyes.  
This, this was all he ever wanted.

Adjusting his speed and depth so that he grazed her sweet spot over and over again, he watched Felicity’s eyes suddenly grow wide. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head while her nails clawed into the headboard above her. Not able to hold back any longer, he gave it three more thrusts, and then came together with her, the orgasm so strong that it took all his strength out of him momentarily. He collapsed onto her, panting.

Her knees slipped from his shoulders after a few seconds as she let go of the headboard and wrapped her arms around his sweat-slicked back. Her breathing was as ragged as his.  
Gently, he withdrew from her plopped onto the mattress beside her, pulling her body close to his side.

 

Felicity could hear his heart racing in his chest while his breathing slowly slowed down.  
“Thank god Thea was out for the night.” she mused, earning a soft chuckle from him.

“Not that I would’ve cared. This is my place, after all.”

“Yeah but I really don’t need to give her a show.” she replied, slowly tracing the outlines of the muscles over his chest and abs. When she reached his hips and her fingertip slid over the small scar that he had there, her head shot up.  
“You know, you never told me how Amanda knew about that scar.”  
Oliver looked up at her words and that name coming out of Felicity’s mouth, confused for a moment, so she went to explain further.  
“Back when I sat at the coffee shop to wait for you and overheard her talking to her friends about you, Amanda told them about that scar on your hip. You never told me how she knew about it.”

That seemed to clear up his confusion. His head leaned back into the pillow, his sleepy eyes trained on her when he replied.  
“Amanda was volunteering at the hospital when I had been treated there. I ran into her once in the hallway, but I never thought she knew why I was there. She never asked me about it, and we never talked afterwards until we ran into each other at that gala. She must’ve checked my files.”

Felicity didn’t say anything to that, but her face was also free of any signs of stress or anger, so Oliver took that as a good sign. Neither of them discussed that topic any further for the rest of the night before both drifted off to a blissful sleep.

 

After a night of very little sleep, thanks to Oliver waking her up two more times during the night, Felicity got up the next morning, feeling as disheveled as she looked and sore in all the right places. The smell of coffee and bacon pulled her out of bed and into the kitchen.  
She could only imagine that Oliver must have been just as tired as she was, even though he looked perfectly fine, a warm smile tugging on his lips the moment he saw her entering the kitchen on bare feet, tucked in one of her robes.

When Oliver placed a large coffee mug in front of her, she sent him a relieved smile. Nothing would kick start her day better than a good coffee.  
“So what are we doing today?” he asked her while munching on a slice of bacon.

“I wanted to call Laurel and see if she was up for coffee? They still need to hear that I’m back for good,” she began and spotted her clutch on the kitchen counter where she had dropped it the night before when they came home. A corner of the business card Mr. deSantos had given her peeked out of it, reminding her of the conversation she’d had the day before with the man.  
“Do you think Mr. deSantos will be in the office today?”

Oliver sat a little straighter at that.  
“So you think about taking the job?”

The hopeful glint in his eyes wasn’t lost on her.  
“Well at first I’d like to know what that job would be about, exactly. But I’m definitely interested.” she smiled and nodded once.

Oliver checked his watch and pondered her question for a moment.  
“Normally he’s at the office every saturday morning, but since the christmas party was last night, I’m not so sure about today. I would try and give him a call around noon. Or we could stop by at the stadium later and see if he’s there.”

“Stop by? You’re planning to leave this apartment today?” she grinned and waggled her eyebrows once, earning a look of pure lust from Oliver. Within 5 seconds flat, he had both their mugs placed on the counter and her thrown over his shoulder to head back upstairs. Felicity couldn’t help but squeal and giggle, especially when he pinched her butt. She definitely wasn’t complaining to spend the entire saturday in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **THE END IS NEAR!!!**
> 
> The next chapter will be the last one of this Story and putting my very first story on AO3 to an end. It's only taken me 1.5 years to do so :D
> 
> Please let me know what you think!
> 
> To all the readers that are still with me on this story, THANK YOU so much! I really never intended for it taking so long to get this thing finished!


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